The Úz Valley cemetery conflict between Hungary and Romania to escalate?

Romanian nationalists aiming to inaugurate an illegally erected memorial in the WWII cemetery of Úz Valley attacked Hungarians protecting the cemetery’s entrance. The Romanian government claims that nothing violent happened while Budapest says that it is outrageous that Romanian authorities could not protect Hungarian citizens and allowed nationalists to destroy and desecrate the cemetery.

Hungary vs Romania again

The attack was condemned by the Hungarian government, opposition parties Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary and Our Home Movement and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ). Hungarian President János Áder called the incident offensive, illegal and immoral and added that it

violated international agreements.

The Hungarian People’s Party of Transylvania and the Hungarian Civic Party both filed a complaint against unknown persons. Many think in Transylvania that the incident is very similar to what happened in the Black March of 1990 in Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș when Romanian nationalists attacked Hungarian civilians demonstrating peacefully for the rights of the Hungarian ethnic community living in Transylvania.

Here you can watch what happened:

Kronika.ro, a Hungarian news outlet of Transylvania wrote on Friday that the commander of the gendarmerie that could not inhibit the clash between Romanian nationalists and Hungarian civilians at Úz valley was Sebastian Cucoș, chief of staff of the unit. Many Hungarian news outlets say that, based on the photos, it seems that

instead of protecting the legal order

he was organising the attack of the Romanian nationalists. Furthermore, he was the commander of the gendarmerie during the Bucharest anti-government protests of August when Romanian football ultras and authorities clashed. Suspicions were raised that he cooperated with the ultras intentionally to provoke a conflict and so be able to use tear gas and nightstick against peacefully demonstrating citizens. An investigation regarding the issue is currently in progress.

Photo: MTI/Veres Nándor

The ministry is to take control

Romanian minister for interior, Carmen Dan, said that the Romanian gendarmerie fulfiled its task because it could hinder possible clashes between Romanians and Hungarians and no graves were desecrated. She added that they regard it as a success that even though both sides mobilised ultras and radicals, nobody got injured. She emphasised without saying names that

certain persons and groups wanted to escalate tensions before the EP elections.

According to MTI, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Teodor Melescanu, his Romanian counterpart, had further talks concerning the Úz valley military cemetery, by phone on Monday. A statement from the Hungarian foreign ministry quoted Melescanu as saying that the Romanian prime minister

ordered the Romanian defence ministry to take control over the cemetery.

The statement added that the Hungarian side had acknowledged the decision. Hungarian FM requested that the two defence ministries should start consultations “to restore order in line with bilateral and international obligations” at the cemetery. The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) objects the nationalisation of the graveyard and wants the original condition of the cemetery to be restored.

Hunor Kelemen, leader of the alliance, added that there should be a dialogue established between the different parties and made it clear that Codrin Munteanu, secretary general of the Romanian defence ministry is responsible for the tensions. In fact, he was the one who started to sue Transylvanian local governments that placed the Szekler flag in their town halls.

The antecedents

As we reported before, mostly drunk and riled up

Romanian nationalists broke into and desecrated the WWII cemetery

of Úz valley previous Thursday where Hungarian, German and Austrian soldiers rest. They smashed several wooden crosses that marked the memory of fallen Hungarian heroes and beat up Hungarians protecting the cemetery with flagpoles and rods torn from the fence. Meanwhile, the Romanian gendarmerie did almost nothing even though Romanian foreign minister Teodor Meleșcanu previously promised his Hungarian counterpart that they would do everything to prevent provocations and physical abuse towards local Hungarians.

The Hungarian foreign ministry immediately issued a diplomatic note of protest and summoned the Romanian ambassador to Hungary to account for what had happened but

he refused to comply, citing conflicting orders.

In fact, the cemetery was illegally appropriated earlier this year by the local council of Dărmănești/Dormánfalva which has erected a memorial site for Romanian soldiers fallen in WWII even though there is no evidence that there rest any of them. The Romanian nationalists inaugurated that memorial after their brutal attack on.

Source: kronika.ro, Daily News Hungary