Hungary govt to finance reconstruction of Szekler martyrs’ monument

Siculeni (Madefalva), Romania, January 7 (MTI) – The Hungarian government will finance the reconstruction of the memorial of Szekler martyrs in Siculeni, in central Romania, the state secretary of Hungarian communities abroad said on Wednesday.

The government will earmark 17 million forints (EUR 53,300) for the project, Arpad Janos Potapi told a commemoration marking the 251st anniversary of a heinous crime committed by the mercenaries of Habsburg Queen Maria Theresa.

The imperial troops tried to recruit the independent-minded Szeklers to serve as border patrol guards under Habsburg command. The community, however, resisted, organising a revolt against the forced military draft. In response, the mercenaries massacred 200 unsuspected Szeklers and forced thousands to flee across the Carpathian Mountains.

Potapi noted that the Szeklers had fought for self-determination and autonomy two and a half centuries ago, and continued to do so even today as autonomy is a framework for, and a precondition of, their survival as a community.