Szeklerland

Jobbik: Romanian Americans better support imprisoned Szeklers than Hungarian Government

After his question addressed to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in March, Jobbik’s vice president Tamás Sneider contacted the head of Hungarian diplomacy once again. Jobbik’s MP did not accept the minister’s answer and submitted a motion voicing his concerns that he could not see the so-called Transylvanian terror charges being met with the protective mechanisms which are laid out in Article D of the Fundamental Law for all Hungarian governments.

Even Romanians stand up for them more efficiently

Criticizing the government for its ineffective protection efforts, Sneider cites the (undoubtedly astounding) example of the Association of Romanians in America which was more active in trying to ensure the rights of these individuals under criminal charges than the motherland was in protecting its own citizens. He also mentioned that the Hungarian government used Mrs. Beke’s (the wife of one of the detained persons) name incorrectly. In reference to the latter, he stated: “considering the fact that the Hungarian government had all the naturalization documents at hand, such errors (which are irrelevant in terms of the procedure) show that the matter should be treated with more attention.”

As it is known, the situation of the affected Hungarian citizens actually deteriorated during the five-month process, practically moving towards hopelessness. Their pre-trial detention was extended for the fifth time while the charges were aggravated for both of them. Thus, based on the effective law, Zoltán Szőcs and István Beke may even be sentenced to life imprisonment. No evidence is presented, so the Transylvanian patriots don’t have a chance to defend themselves.

Szíjjártó: We take all possible measures

Reporting the developments of the past month in his brief and concise response, Péter Szijjártó mentions that “the Romanian authorities have forwarded the oral memorandum requesting a prison visit of the two Romanian-Hungarian dual citizens to the prosecutor in charge of the case” who will “deliberate it”.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the competent Romanian authorities are not expected to provide in-depth information as this criminal case is still in the investigation stage. In his response given on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Szijjártó assured Sneider that they would appropriately use the means available for consulates and diplomats and take all measures possible within the limitations of international law.

We are supposed to help each other in national matters but…

Talking to our portal, Sneider said that “we are supposed to help each other when the rights of a Hungarian are infringed upon,” and he was worried that he could not get a truly reassuring answer from the Minister in terms of the specific information on the conditions of detention.

The politician believes that the matter must not be treated as Romania’s internal affair, we must not let ourselves be “shaken off”. He points out that the individuals put into pre-trial detention were not Romanian citizens but Romanian-Hungarian dual citizens, and they were detained in such a way that “procedural rules were violated and human rights were infringed upon.”

In Sneider’s view, “there is no way back, we must take this matter to European international forums.” He adds that “it is increasingly evident that the Romanian government sees the Beke-Szőcs case as the means to block Szekler autonomy efforts.” Stating that the international community is supposed to be dedicated to ensuring human rights for minority groups, “it is high time for Brussels and Strasbourg to deal with the cause of Szeklers as well.”

Photo: MTI

Is the Hungarian language going to disappear completely?

flag Hungarian

Within the next few decades the Hungarian language will become much less present in the Carpathian Basin and most of the trans-border Hungarian communities will disappear, unless the language consciously gets developed, reports magyaridok.hu. The adaption of an effective language strategy could be beneficial for the regional status of the Hungarian language, which would mean further advantages, both on an economic and international scale.

Hungary had been affected by the idea of “a nation is living in its language” since the 16th century grammars and translations of the Bible. The neoliberal dogma saying that “no forms of intervention should be carried out regarding the life of a language” had also been supported by a linguistic industry. The “poisoned words” of those supporters further wrong the already – since Trianon – wounded community awareness, for aside the geographical losses, a “spiritual” loss did hurt the feelings. The disappearance of the Hungarian language community awareness is a huge issue, as without positive individual and parental decisions no positive language community can exist.

If those were present, the deterioration and exchange of languages would be less a threat, which also shows how important positive language decisions are. Especially in our day and age where, after being born, the children get into the world of telecommunication devices which play a significant role in their lives and are highly present while growing up. Thus, children become familiar with the rather terrible language used through digital applications. Instead of listening to a bedtime story or sing a song with their parents their entertainment comes from TV cartoons and animations full of aggressive language items, which cannot be balanced by the kindergarten teachers. Or, at school, they eventually get bored by the formal analyses of grammar classes.

Then, after finishing secondary, people usually go to university and finish a course probably – partly – in English because of the lack of terminology. After that chances are high that they go abroad and there comes the question whether they would care about preserving and passing on their mother tongue to their children if they lived far from their home country.

For minority Hungarians this problem is significant, as the successor states’ language policies are on the verge of making their states’ languages completely “Hungarianless”. For example, based on the last 20 years’ population movements there will be zero Hungarian-speaking people by 2056 in Upper Hungary (Felvidék), by 2057 in Transylvania (Erdély) and by 2062 in Vojvodina (Vajdaság). Therefore, Magyar idők writes that except for Szekler Land (Székelyföld) and the Great Rye Island (Csallóköz), the minorities will stop speaking Hungarian within 50 years. Though, it can happen more quickly, as after reaching the stagnation point the process of language losing will speed up. Such points may be the shutting down of a village school or similar happenings, which boost the process.

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However, there would be a way to prevent the losing of the Hungarian language, which seems to be working in the cases of other European language strategy models. These models are usually built up of a basic legal background, a smart, definite and feasible language law and a language strategy which can be fulfilled in practice. This trinity is present in Finland and Estonia, for instance, among the governmental and the professional bodies’ cooperation. A good language strategy presupposes the professional language planning affecting the whole of the community and the coordination of its legal language policy practice. Narrowed down, the strategy means a country’s language-linguistic-legal action plan and its policies. Such plan exists in Finland. Ideally, just like in Estonia, these plans divide the goals and tasks into cycles with the financial assets. The success of the Estonians can give hope: there is a way out from the toughest situations, too.

A successful dissimilation language strategy can slow down, or even prevent the assimilation of the trans-border Hungarians. In case of assimilation, giving up the Hungarian language means that there will be more non-Hungarians in number without any new born. Thus, assimilation is the cultural loss of a certain region, where instead of two or more languages only one becomes spoken. Importantly though, the dissimilation strategy does not go against anyone, is not discriminatory, for dissimilation is a cultural gain: the minority languages are present while the number of the people speaking the major language will not decrease either. The trans-border Hungarians are mainly multilingual, therefore, this strategy could help the areas in question.

Moreover, it is a major task to understand that in our region multilingualism is a more natural state than monolingualism. The success of the dissimilation strategy also includes “Hungarian-Hungarian economic synergies”, therefore, it is a great economic potential of the Carpathian Basin. These elements are highlighted, complex elements divisible to cycles. But bear in mind that the info technological, terminological, preserving and the diversification-protecting areas are also inevitably necessary. Hence, the writer of the article, alongside Géza Balázs and János Pusztay have made a programme which was accepted by the government 2 years ago. However, the Hungarian Language Strategy Institute which was established based on the government regulation could not succeed in carrying out the goals.

Therefore, as the article reports, people should realize that Hungary is losing the language war of the Carpathian Basin: in 10 or 50 years the number of Hungarians will depend on those who find it important to preserve and pass it on to their descendants. Much depends on the existence or lack, the fulfillment or fail of a successful national language strategy. The question is whether 8 or 12 million Hungarians will live in the complete area of the Carpathian Basin by 2060.

Photo: www.facebook.com/Énekeld-a-Himnuszt

Copy editor: bm

Young Szekler men are accused of committing terrorist acts

Two Transylvanian leaders of the Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement (HVIM) might be sentenced to life, nol.hu writes. The Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) pressed charges against István Beke and Zoltán Szőcs on Wednesday.

The authorities posted their decision on the Directorate’s official website on Thursday. According to the announcement, István Beke is accused of attempting a terrorist attack against the community, and with attempting to breach the rules relating to explosive materials. Zoltánt Szőcs is accused of inciting others to make home-made bombs. Both of them are detained and are waiting for the first instance.

According to the prosecution’s announcement Zoltan Szőcs, Transylvanian president of HVIM, told István Beke on 10 October 2015 during a meeting to detonate a home-made explosive device on 1 December, which is the national holiday of Romania. Beke was arrested a day before the planned attack. 400 firecrackers were confiscated from Beke after the premises were searched, along with devices which could have been used to make explosives, the prosecution stated. Zoltan Szűcs was arrested at the end of December when he returned to Romania after working abroad.

In its previous announcements the prosecution stated that the aim of the culprits, who are fighting for the unification of all ethnic Hungarians that live outside of Hungary and the revision of the Trianon Treaty, was to hinder the Romanian authorities to exercise state authority. Based on article 402 of the Romanian Criminal Code, if István Beke and Zoltan Szűcs are found guilty, they could be sentenced to life, but will be imprisoned for at least 15 years. According to Romanian law, attempting a criminal act is punished the same way as if the act had been carried out.

Copy editor: bm

Bishop Márton’s statue unveiled in Áder’s presence in Romania – Photos

Csíkszereda, Romania, May 15 (MTI) – The statue of Áron Márton, the ethnic Hungarian bishop of Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár) from 1939 to 1980, was inaugurated on the main square of Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda), in central Romania’s Szekler Land region, on Sunday.

Addressing the unveiling ceremony, Hungary’s President János Áder praised the one-time bishop for his brave stance against all oppressive powers, including his protest against the deportation of Jews from northern Transylvania, then a part of Hungary, during WWII.

Related article:
GREAT MASSES ARE GOING ON A PILGRIMAGE TO CSÍKSOMLYÓ – PHOTOS
THE PILGRIM TRAINS STARTED THEIR WAY TO CSÍKSOMLYÓ – PHOTOS

Citing the bishop, the president said that “working for the nation is not a separate profession but a duty inseparable from any profession.” Márton led his congregation, church, community and nation as a general and served them as a servant, Áder said.

Áron Márton (1896-1980) was a prominent representative of Hungarian public life in Transylvania. In 1944, he condemned the planned deportation of Hungarian and Romanian Jews. For his activities during this period, he was awarded the title “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Yad Vashem institute in Jerusalem in 1999.

A committed advocate of religious freedom and human rights, Márton became an outspoken opponent of Romania’s dictatorial communist regime. He was arrested in 1949 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1951. Upon international pressure, he was ultimately released in 1955 but was not allowed to leave the bishopric building from 1956 to 1967.

Photo: MTI

Great masses are going on a pilgrimage to Csíksomlyó – Photos

The Csíksomlyó hogback was crowded with pilgrims on Saturday, alfahir.hu writes. Szék utca, which leads to the Csíksomlyó church, was crowded with people. Pilgrims then continued their journey to the hogback.

According to the traditional customs, the groups that march under the cross (in Hungarian they are called keresztalja) have tables in their hands which indicate where they have come from. In addition to the religious flags, there were countless Hungarian and Szekler flags as well.

At the mountain top organizers kept announcing the number of people in the groups and their leaders’ names a couple of hours before the event. As of today, Csíksomlyó is a symbol of solidarity among Hungarians and represents the nation. Pilgrims have been gathering together at Csíksomlyó for 449 years during Pentecost to honour the Szeklers of Csík who defeated the troops of John Sigismund during the battle of Tolvajos tető. The king tried to force the Szeklers to convert to Protestantism.

János Áder, President of Hungary, his wife, deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, and Sándor Lezsák, deputy Speaker of the National Assembly also participated in the event. The festive speaker of the event was László Csintalan, honorary canon, honorary arch-priest, and priest of Csíkdelne.

There’s also a video of people singing the Hungarian National Anthem.

Photos: MTI
Video: Youtube/Filantropikum

Copy editor: bm

The pilgrim trains started their way to Csíksomlyó – PHOTOS

Budapest, May 13 (MTI) – On Friday early in the morning, from the Keleti railway station the Csíksomlyó Express and the Székely Express began their journey to the pilgrimage of Csíksomlyó.

This year for the 9th time the Kárpáteurópa Utazási Iroda (Carpathean Europe Travel Agency) organized the 4-day (May 12-15) long programmes. The main events were the Mary Day in Csíksomlyó, the Pentecost pilgrimage and the pilgrimage to Gyimes, to the thousand years old border of the historical Hungary and the programmes ended with the outdoor concert of Csík zenekar in Madéfalva.

The Csíksomlyó Express started out at midnight in Szombathely then in Budapest it was joined by Székely Express. The two trains left Budapest to Transylvania as one united train consisting of 16 carriages. The train thus became almost 0.5 km long with about 1200 pilgrims on board.

The other, the Boldogasszony pilgrim train had already started its way to Transylvania on Thursday morning from the Nyugati railway station.

The patron and spiritual leader of the pilgrimage was Csaba Böjte, Franciscan monk who awaited the guests in Madéfalva.

According to legends, the very first pilgrimage to Csíksomlyó was held in 1567, when János Zsigmond, lord of Transylvania wanted to force – by weapons – the Catholic Székelys to convert to the Unitarian religion.

The people of Csík, Gyergyó and Kászon gathered together in Csíksomlyó on the day of Pentecost and asked for the help of the Virgin Mary, after which they defeated the lord’s army in the Tolvajos Pass of Hargita.

Then, after the victory in Csíksomlyó the people gave thanks and made a resolution to carry out the pilgrimage on the Saturday of Pentecost in every following year.

According to zarandokvonat.hu, on the first day after being blessed the pilgrims travelled to Gyergyószentmiklós where they were greeted and then occupied their accommodation.

The second day was spent by travelling to the Valley of Gyimesek and to the thousand years old border to visit the rail guard house #30 and the ruins of the Rákóczi castle.

On the third day is held the Pentecost pilgrimage of Csíksomlyó, when the people gather together at the ancient shrine of Mary to fulfil their ancestors’ resolution. Also, in Csíkszereda they visited the Pilgrimage church to see the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The fourth and last day of the event was spent in Gyergyószentmiklós where the Pentecost outdoor Holy Mass was given.

Photos: MTI

Here’s how people spent Easter in Hungary – Photo gallery

Although Easter is already gone, you can relive it by taking a look at these amazing photos. This is how people in Hungary, and in several Hungarian speaking area, celebrated Easter!

Photos: MTI 

Copy editor: bm

Ethnic Hungarians of Romania call for the end of the „witch-hunt” against Hungarians in Romania

“We ask emphatically about the reasons for the obvious witch-hunt against Hungarians in the cities of Transylvania” – stated Hunor Kelemen, the president of RMDSZ (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) in a press release last week, mikoimre3szek.ro reports.

The President raised his voice in protest in relation to two recent events that occurred in two Transylvanian cities: organisers of a public march at Marosvásárhely/Targu Mures were given a 70,800 RON fine for marching in the city, and also the participants of the March 15th commemoration at Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca were asked to withdraw the historical regional flag of Transylvania. Kelemen stated that the authorities restricted members of the Hungarian community in Romania to use their regional symbols and to organize peaceful processions.

According to President Kelemen, the recent events have swayed further the already shaky sense of security of the members of the Hungarian community.

„It is obvious that innocent people who were peacefully celebrating were targeted at Targu Mures and at Cluj-Napoca by the employees of the police. We emphatically ask those responsible for public safety to deal with averting public danger instead of considering the fulfillment of their institutional duty to fine peaceful people or remove the Transylvanian or Szekler flag”- declared Kelemen.

The President of RMDSZ asked the authorities in both cases to justify their actions and the procedure that followed. He stated that unfounded sanctions are against the principles of law. „The Hungarians of Romania do not want to live in a country where they are constantly intimidated!”- said Kelemen.

The Targu-Mures Police issued a press release in relation to the fining of the 84 organisers of a peaceful march in their city on March 10th, for the hefty sum of 70,800 RON. The spokesman of the police confirmed that the march was free of incidents and affrays. He declared that the fines were issued due to the authority’s point of view that the participants of the march processed in the front of the Prefect’s Office without an official permit.

Copy editor: bm

Sympathy demonstration was held in Istanbul in support of Székely autonomy

Turkish organization “Turan January” staged a sympathy demonstration in Istanbul on Sunday in support of the the Székely autonomy.

Demonstrators waved Székely, Turkish and Hungarian flags. They carried a banner with the following slogan:

“Message for Europe, we prevail, we prevailed and we will prevail. Autonomy for Székely Land”

We are all Attila’s grandchildren, in other words, we are all brothers and sisters.

by hungarianambiance.com

Székely Hungarians demonstrate in Washington for Székely autonomy

About two dozen people demonstrated at the White House in Washington, last Sunday in support of Székely autonomy, alfahir.hu reports.

According to reports, the majority of the demonstrators had Székely ancestry.

Demonstrators support the preservation of the cultural heritage of Székely Land and the establishment of a regional self-government in Erdély. Romania goes against international law by rejecting the autonomy aspirations of the people of Erdély the demonstrators said.

translated by hungarianambiance.com

Székely Freedom Day March urges dialogue with the Romanian government and self-determination for Székely-Hungarians

The Hungarianambiance.com said, Székely Freedom Day March demands territorial autonomy and the launching of a dialogue on the status of Szeklerland. The manifesto was read at the Székely Martyrs Memorial in Marosvásárhely by the President of the Székely National Council Balázs Izsák.

The manifesto has been adopted by acclamation by those participated in the memorial event. Demonstrators demanded special status for the historical Székely Land with special administrative and economic privileges. Participants called on the Romanian government to engage in dialogue about the status Székely Land with the Székely National Council and the Székely local governments.

Participants also demanded that Romania fully respect the core treaties between Romania and Hungary, in particular, that section of the document in which the parties agree to refrain from any practice that would change the ethnic composition of regions inhabited by minirities. – MTI

According to hungarianambiance.com, when on March 10, we bow before our martyrs in Marosvásárhelyen we draw strength from their sacrifices. We swear in front of the tomb of the martyrs that we don’t tolerate from anyone to treat us as second-class citizens. We pledge that we continue fighting for our rights resolutely, and consistently. The courage of our martyrs not only spiritually strengthen us, but also encourages us not to give up our struggle for self-determination.

Intolerant nationalists threaten to make a larger region from our homeland in order to violently reshape the ethnic composition of the region. That is why we demand territorial autonomy for Szeklerland; we want a Székely-Hungarian homeland where we can feel at home, where we do not live as a tolerated minority, where our language and our symbols are not persecuted. We need autonomy where decisions are made locally by the two peoples who live side by side – Székely-Hungarians and Romanians – who according to their numbers can participate in the running of the autonomous Szeklerland.

The hungarianambiance.com said, Székely-Hungarians in Transylvania support the Székely people’s aspirations to enjoy territorial autonomy. We believe that in Erdély, the Székely people must be recognized as equals with the Romanian, and Hungarian must be recognized as an official language of the country. Without linguistic equality there is no equality at all! In the absence of linguistic equality, the Hungarian minority is a severely disenfranchised ethnic group. In Erdély, the basis of equality mutual, and cultural understanding not possible without linguistic equality. Currently, the Hungarian language in Erdély, and Szeklerland only tolerated. Those who seek linguistic equality in a predominantly Hungarian-majority region can be punished by fine write erdely.ma.

Photo: MTI

Romanian foreign ministry responds to Orbán criticism

Bucharest, March 1 (MTI) – Romania’s justice system is unbiased, the Romanian foreign ministry said in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Monday remarks according to which Hungarian politicians in Romania were being subjected to a political campaign.

“In Romania, as in all constitutional states, the administration of justice and the fight against corruption are without bias and the achievements have also been recognised by European institutions,” the Romanian ministry said in a statement.

Orban told an annual meeting of Hungarian diplomats on Monday that “under the guise of the constitutional state, lawfulness and the fight against corruption”, there is a political campaign against Hungarian politicians in Romania.

Romania’s anti-corruption authority filed criminal procedures against several local Szekler leaders last year. As a result, the mayors of Gheorgheni (Gyergyószentmiklós) and Sfantu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) were suspended from office and the mayor of Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) resigned after charges had been raised against him.

The Romanian news agency Mediafax said, however, that Orbán’s remarks were connected to MEP László Tőkés. Last week, Romania’s supreme court confirmed an earlier decision to revoke from Tőkés a high state award that he had received for his role in the 1989 Romanian revolution.

Orbán, RMDSZ leader discuss plans for Romania’s ethnic Hungarian minority

Budapest, February 29 (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party leader Hunor Kelemen discussed topical issues of the Hungarian minority in Budapest on Monday.

Orbán and Kelemen agreed on the need for Transylvanian Hungarians to gain strength during political clashes accompanying the run-up to this year’s elections, a trend which should be reflected by the number of municipal and parliamentary seats won, Bertalan Havasi, the prime minister’s press chief, told MTI.

Kelemen presented draft development plans aimed to help Transylvanian Hungarians retain their identity and foster their culture, he said.

Orbán expressed support for the plans, including establishing a boarding school for diaspora students in Timisoara (Temesvár), founding an ice hockey academy in Szeklerland and enriching the collection of the Transylvanian Arts Centre in Sfantu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy).

Wizz Air Targu Mures flight turns back to Budapest

Budapest, February 27 (MTI) – A Wizz Air flight bound for Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) turned back to Budapest on Saturday after an instrument in the cockpit indicated a problem, the Hungarian low-fare airline told MTI.

As a precaution, the aircraft turned back to Budapest, where it landed.

Technical staff have started a review of the aircraft, Wizz Air said.

The passengers were taken to their destination by another aircraft, it added.

Photo: MTI

 

EBRD sees no evidence for alleged fraud by ethnic Hungarian mayor

Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania, February 24 (MTI) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has “no reason to believe” that a loan it had provided for Romania’s Sfantu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) was used in a fraudulent way, an EBRD spokesman told MTI at its enquiry on Wednesday.

MTI had approached EBRD in the wake of press reports that Romania’s anti-corruption agency searched the home and offices of Mayor Arpad Antal and his associates. Antal was then suspended from his office and placed under surveillance.

The Romanian authorities suspect that the mayor had drawn 4.2 million euros from the EBRD loan and used it for a purpose different from the loan agreement.

Antal told MTI that his office had acted legally, and the bank, which had monitored utilisation of the funds, had not raised any objections.

This is how the Romanian secret service works in Szeklerland

Secret service agents, state officials fulfilling orders, full-time challengers are trying to intimidate Hungarians and provoke them into things that the power in Bucharest can refer to when acting. Mno.hu presents some of them.

Romanian journalist Dan Tanasa happily announced on February 6 that his professional Facebook page received 10 thousand likes. Four days earlier he wrote that his blog was visited by 372 thousand people last year. The Romanian internet analyzing service says that he is one of the most popular authors in Romania.

Ethnic cleansing

Who is this 34-year-old man who brought dozens of Hungarian local governments in Szeklerland to the court? According to people who know his family, he is the son of simple Romanian workers. He was born in Sepsiszentgyörgy, Szeklerland, he went to school there, he graduated at the Transilvania University of Brasov, the Faculty of Education and Psychology, and he earned a master’s degree of communication and PR in 2011.

During the national-communist dictatorship a truly distorted picture was developed of Hungarians. They were told to be an alien and hostile population recently settled in the Romanian land with excessive and unjustified claims. They were told to be following hidden aims always moving against Romanians, mno.hu reported.

Dan Tanasa, by his own confession, has been writing since 2008 on the “massive abuses of local governments controlled by RMDSZ and the Hungarian Civic Party” that are committed against the Romanian residents of Hargita and Kovászna county. He also writes accusations to stop “ethnic cleansing” to which the Romanians are exposed. Sepsiszentgyörgy mayor, Árpád Antal, said that they have one or two people who always have to deal with the answering of Dan Tanasa’s questions. Fomer Social Democrat Senator, current mayor of Craiova, Lia Olguta Vasilescu said: “if Dan Tanasa did not exist, we would have to have invented him”.

He reports in the name of the Civil Association for the Pride in Europe (ADEC), which is chaired by the blogger. The other three founders cannot be found on the social sites. The association has objectives, like the promotion of the Romanian nation-state, the protection of fundamental human rights, at least in the exclusive cases of the Romanian-speaking Romanian citizens.

Agent or messenger?

Mno.hu asked several people, including colleagues, about the Dan Tanasa phenomenon in Transylvania. Most people only talk anonymously, because they are afraid that the notorious blogger would harass them and immediately cite them to the court. Almost everyone thinks that he has relations with the secret services. He spent years in Spain and now he lives in Germany, so he is likely to work for the Romanian foreign intelligence. Otherwise, he could not have been informed about the fact that the mayor of a small Székely Land settlement put up the Székely flag. The blogger reported that with photos within days.

László Szőke, Transylvanian journalist, wrote on szekelyhon.ro that Tanasa gets a lot of awards. Voiculescu Family Foundation awarded him a 3 and a half million HUF (11,290 EUR) for his courage with which he protects the Romanians of Hargita-Kovászna counties. Voiculescu himself was sentenced to 10 years by the national anticorruption prosecutor’s office (DNA). Mno.hu knows that the blogger already received a scholarship from the foundation during his university studies. He is also a frequent guest at Antena 3 TV that is owned by Voiculescu.

Mno.hu asked Dan Tanasa about his reports, complaints and observations, but he has not responded so far.

Relationship network, or the network is alive and well

If you search through the Facebook profiles of some people it becomes revealed that Dan Tanasa is in a daily contact with former and current Romanian Prefects of Hungarian-populated counties, with Székelyföld Romanian Orthodox bishop Ioan Selejan and with various organizations of Székelyföld Romanians.

While he wins several lawsuits sometimes he also takes a knock. In 2014, he complained about the Nyírő József commemorative ceremony, because he believes that the organization popularized Fascist, anti-Romanian and anti-Semitic views. The Gyegyószentmiklós prosecution rejected it.

State employee Mircea Diacon – who was sent to Háromszék – is the enthusiastic supporter of the blogger. He is the head of the Kovászna County Consumer Protection Office and he strikes down on every perceived or real illegitimacy, mno.hu said.

Székely flavor

Diacon has led the office since 2013. When he punished the Háromszék butchery for the use of the phrase “Székely flavor” he explained it by how there is no such thing as a “Székely flavor”. However, he did not respond to the question asked about the phrase “traditional Romanian flavors” which can be found in several Romanian stores.

According to mno.hu, his zeal becomes tragicomic at times: since he insists on the Romanian labeling for every product, he made the name Rigó Jancsi sweets of Rigó Jancsi pastry shop change into “Mierla Ionica” with the Hungarian name below.

Photo: MTI

Copy editor: bm

A Romanian doctor humiliating a Hungarian child in Cluj-Napoca

A doctor from Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) has humiliated a child and his family from Szeklerland. The doctor became angry when he noticed that the patient’s relatives didn’t speak well the Romanian language.

It happened on last Saturday that there was a car accident where a child from Covasna county (Szeklerland) went trough an accident, a city bus across her foot. Last weekend the ODFIE organized the 19th poetry and folk song singing competition that was held in Cluj. By this occasion was invited the child who’s name is Sükei Katalin, she won first prize. After the awards gala she suffered an accident in the city center at (RO:) Ferdiand / (HU:) Dózsa György street. In the moment of the accident there was the child’s girlfriend who called the ODFIE organizers who rapidly went to the location where the accident happened. The ambulance took Sükei Katalin with a guide from the organizer team, the guid’s name is Fülöp Júlia Unitarian priest and president of the ODIFE.

The case was posted on Facebook by Rácz Norbert Zsolt, a Unitarian parson from Cluj, soon the whole thing has sperad widely on the social media. Mr. Rácz is the former president of the National Francis David Youth Association ( Országos Dávid Ferenc Ifjusági Egylet ODFIE) According to Mr. Rácz Norbert, as they arrived the doctor on duty Dr. Ioan Dobrescu’s first question was related to the child’s knowledge of the Romanian language, questioning why didn’t she know perfectly the official language of Romania. In this case it’s worth to mention that a child at 17 age is not always prepared after an accident or a shock to express herself on a level that the doctor would expect. On the next step the doctor acted rude with the guide / organizer Fülöp Júlia and with the parents to.

Atfer this incident Mr. Rácz Norbert had no other choice but calling Horváth Anna who’s the deputy mayor of the city. The deputy mayor than went personally in the hospital in order to solve the problem. The main conclusion is that even if there is only one official language in Cluj-Napoca, the doctor should mind his manners when he communicates with a child or with her relatives who traveled hundreds of kilometers in order to reach the hospital.

Photo: magyarellenesseg.com

Legally declared in Romania: Szeklerland does not exist

According to kronika.ro, the Marosvásárhely Court of Appeal said no to the tourism promotion of Szeklerland, dismissing the appeal concerning the formal registration of Pro Turismo Sicolorum alliance.

Thus, the earlier decision of the Hargita county courthouse that claimed Szeklerland non-existent became final.

14 tourism and rural development associations of Hargita, Kovászna and Maros counties initiated the establishment of Pro Turismo Terrae Siculorum alliance last October in order to promote Székelyland tourist destinations. The representatives of the associations wanted to officially register the alliance in the Hargita county courthouse, but they were rejected last December. The High Court declared the appeal unfounded on February 4.

Benedek Nagy, Vice President of the alliance said that the elected Executive Board would decide on the additional steps related to registration. Kronika.ro knows that they attached several documents to their appeal which prove that similar associations, organizations can freely use the names of many historical regions for promoting purposes. The court objected to the Székelyföld phrase and asked to change it.

At the first trial  the prosecutor said that the charter is unconstitutional since there is the word Székelyföld in it. Therefore, the initiators changed the phrase to Székelyföld tourist destination, but the court did not accept it, because they said there is no such territorial department, and Romania is made up by municipalities, cities and counties. The initiators suspect political reasons behind the rejection. Kronika.ro asked for the rejecting order in writing, but they have not received an answer yet.

The decision is incomprehensive because there are several similar associations in the country. For example, the Bucovina Tourism Association which was founded in 2001, according to the Bucovinatourism.ro, and it was supported by the Suceava county Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Tourism, in order to boost the tourism of Bucovina.

Copy editor: bm