Árpád Antal, mayor of Sepsiszentgyörgy, appeals for calm in view of the new Romanian crosses placed at the military cemetery.Continue reading
The mayors of about fifty municipalities in the Transylvanian county of Hargita have signed a petition addressed to the Romanian Minister of Interior, protesting against the passivity of law enforcement authorities in Uz Valley.
In the petition addressed to Interior Minister Marian-Cătălin Predoiu, they reminded the minister of the events of July 8 in Uz Valley. They point out that members of several Romanian organizations “with behavior reminiscent of vandalism and desecration of graves” entered the international military cemetery that contains the graves of many Hungarian soldiers, where they placed 150 wooden crosses. They stress that this happened in the presence of members of the Romanian police and gendarmerie, who did not intervene to prevent the incident.
The authors of the petition point out that the military cemetery in Uz Valley is an architectural, cultural and spiritual site of great importance that must be protected, preserved and properly maintained. “We are convinced that the administrative units of Hargita County are not inferior in this country”, says the petition.
The remains of 444 Hungarian, 121 German and 11 Romanian soldiers rest in the cemetery, according to the Romanian War Graves Commission.
The undersigned point out that every piece of land, public or private, has a property right protected by law. In the title of ownership of the cemetery area, the municipality of Csíkszentmárton (Sânmartin) is indicated as the owner, and they consider it unacceptable that the forces of order have allowed “vandalism”. They ask the minister to take the necessary measures to investigate the matter and demand responsible, respectful and considerate behavior at the memorials.
They add that they strongly condemn what happened and express their hope that similar “immoral and illegal” incidents will be prevented in the future and that
in Romania the law applies equally to all, regardless of ethnicity.
The petition was signed by Hargita County Council Chairman Csaba Borboly and 53 mayors of the county in Szeklerland and sent to Bucharest on Friday. It calls on the authorities to take firm and immediate measures to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators.
Via Ungarn Heute; Featured Image:Beliczay László/maszol.