Hungarian-hatred fueling aggression gravely disconcerting

Anger, aggression, and vandalism. Once again, Hungarian-haters have damaged certain things while venting their perceived, but by no means real, grievances. For emotion can never be justified if aggression is the outcome, and negative thoughts leading to actual, willful damage should not be accepted as "justified."

On Saturday night, "unknown perpetrators" vandalized the Hungarian-language sign indicating the name of the  Szabadka/Subotica district placed at the entrance to Palics/Palic in the Bekova/Bikovo roundabout just a little over two months ago, Delhir and  Magyar Szo reported and published photos of the appalling destruction. 

"Tolerance, acceptance, historical friendship, best of relations with neighbouring countries... And a new photo as illustration... And no one is surprised, because this is what their so-called tolerance has meant for us for more than a hundred years,"

Reverend Miklos Vilagos, parish priest of the St. George parish of Mohol, wrote in a Facebook post

The Democratic Community of Hungarians in Vojvodina (VMDK) also condemned the brutality, and reacted to the incident in a Facebook post, writing: "We regret to inform you that during the night, unknown perpetrators damaged and dismantled the Szabadka sign at the entrance to Palics/Palic. VMDK strongly condemns this act of vandalism and demands that the police and prosecution find the perpetrators and impose exemplary punishment."

VMDK has called on the leaders of the city of Szabadka/Subotica to condemn this shameful act and to restore the sign without delay.

Unfortunately, anti-Hungarian aggression sometimes ends in deliberate wrongdoing in neighboring countries. On July 8, supporters of the Path of the Nation (Calea Neamului) and other Romanian organisations placed one hundred and fifty wooden crosses in the international military cemetery [in Uz Valley eastern Transylvania] to replace the concrete ones removed on June 29.  In addition to the smaller crosses, with a ribbon in Romanian national colors around them, a large cross and a flagpole with the Romanian flag on it were also erected.

However, the Romanian nationalists got away with the desecration of the cemetery, as the Romanian gendarmerie did not fine them for placing the crosses repeatedly in the military cemetery in Uz Valley. As the military cemetery is in the administrative district of Sanmartin (Csikszentmarton), the municipality filed a criminal complaint with the police against Mihai Tîrnoveanu and his followers. Sanmartin Mayor Sandor Birtalan told the Hungarian state news agency MTI at the time that in the complaint, they described the repeated desecration of the cemetery and demanded an investigation and punishment for the perpetrators.

On the brick wall around the cemetery, two signboards can be found with information in Hungarian and Romanian about the history of the region and the battles fought in the Uz Valley.

Unknown perpetrators broke off more than a third of one of the signboards.

Source of cover photo: Facebook/VMDK