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December 2009 |
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EUR. COMM. HUNGARIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRAL EUROPE |
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The capital and the economic centre of Transylvania is Kolozsvár ( Romanian : Cluj-Napoca). Till 1974 this city was know under the name of Cluj, which in fact is a denigration of the Hungarian Kolozs. The pronunciation of both names is roughly the same. The Romanian dictator Ceauşescu renamed the city in 1974 to Cluj-Napoca (2). Imagine that the city of Maastricht would be renamed to: Maastricht -Trajectum ad Mosam. The name Napoca has been added to the historical name of the city to make a public statement Hungarians, remember that the Romanians were here earlier. This doctrine of Daco-Romanian continuity has been used to declare Hungarians as inferior citizens in the country where their ancestors have been born. The city also has been cleaned from its Hungarian majority by ethnic engineering. It is easer to artificially change the ethnic composition of a large anonymous city, that that of a small country side village. This is why in today's Kolozsvár less than 20 % is Hungarian. The villages around Kolozsvár have been less modified, the majority in these villages is still consisting of the autonomous Hungarian population. |
1. Transylvania is a multi lingual region. |
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Post Box 2492 5202 CL s Hertogenbosch The netherlands Tel: +31 (0) 87 8724745 Info@hungarian-human-rights.eu http://www.hungarian-human-rights.eu
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There have been two petitions recently, one concerns this use of the Hungarian languages in tourism signs in the city, which is a legitimate claim, because the city has Hungarians roots and because the majority of visitors to the city is coming from the neighboring European member state Hungary and speaking Hungarian consequently. (Petition by CEMO on 21-5) (5) The second petition has been initiated by the RMDSZ (7) to the city council of Kolozsvár . The aim of this petition is to use the Hungarian name of the city in addition to the Romanian name, which is even obligatory if more than 20 % of the population of a given administrative region belong to an autonomous minority. The reaction of the Romanian governance of Kolozsvár to both petitions has been very critical and negative. It is not certain that both legitimate claims will be answered positively. The usage of the Hungarian language is of course also a symbolic issue, because there are still other occurrences of discrimination that are much more severe, such as the lacking of proportional ethnic representation, which is a violation of the spirit and the letter of the law. |
FigurE 1.ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF TRANSYLVANIA. RED IS HUNGARIAN, BLUE IS ROMIAN. PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE MORE DETAILS. |
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Can you imagine that a part of the autonomous population is significantly under represented in governmental services, such as the police, tax authorities and all other governmental agencies ? Imagine the outrage if 95 % of Belgian police agents would be Flemish, whereas the Flemish make out less than 60 % of the total population of Belgium.
Transylvania is a multi lingual region, which belonged (1)till 1921 and partially between 1940 and 1947 to Hungary. Its population consisted in 1921 of almost 50 % Romanians and over 40 % of Hungarians. In 2002 the number of Hungarians has declined to less than 20 % of the total population. This is a result of many Hungarians having fled Transylvania after the ethnic cleansing in the Ceauşescu regime. The bad economic circumstances during the nineties have amplified this trend unfortunately. |
2. Capital of Transylvania. |
3.Nationalism of Funar.. |
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A very ugly and backward nationalism has ruled the city from 1992 till 2004, which was aimed a the humiliation of the autonomous Hungarian population. Disgusting signs have been placed at the entrance of the city of Kolozsvár. Some of these signs can still be found today. Besides public humiliations, all Hungarians were banned from public functions if this was possible. Consequently the police force in Kolozsvár is almost consisting of ethnic Romanians only. Hungarians were not allowed to become police officers. An active policy has been implemented to disencourage Hungarians from becoming active in public functions. Till today the autonomous ethnic Hungarian population is underrepresented beyond the level of statistical bias. |
5. Discrimination of Hungarians. |
6. Forced Assimilation. |
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Hungarian students still have to learn the Romanian language according to the same curriculum as Romanian students do,. This is an absurd situation in which a minority is forced to learn the language and literature of another minority in Europe. A language that has a very limited economical value. Good English language skills would be more useful in the economic and social live of the European Union. Today's Romanian education system leaves no room for the voluntary learning of the Hungarian language. The usage of the Hungarian language and culture still meets bureaucratic barriers actively imposed by the Romanian government. This is not compliant with the European treaties that have been ratified by the republic of Romania. (6) In 1996 people were still imprisoned in Romania for being homosexual, so Romania has a very fragile basis of respect for Human rights. |
4.Entrance to the European Union. |
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The open xenophobia of Funar also bothered Romanian inhabitants. It had been perceived as a shame for a united Europe. This is the reason that he was not elected during the mayor elections in 2004. While entering the European Union, the republic of Romania has signed several treaties, which clearly states to which rights autonomous people are entitled. (4) Unfortunately these treaties are ignored or just symbolically followed, although Romania still receives millions from Brussels. The average European is affected by the Romanian membership of Europe, for example in the Netherlands a lot of musicians can be found from Romania, unfortunately the amount of ghost transactions on bank statements has also gone up, courtesy of Romanian criminals gangs operating in Western Europe. The old paradigm that Romanian internal affairs are the sole concern of Romanian politics can not be defended anymore. |
FigurE 2. PUBLIC HUMILITIANS BY THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT IN KOLOZSVÁR (CLUJ-NAPOCA). ROMANIAN LAW MAKES IT OBLIGATORY TO USE HUNGARIAN SIGNS IF AT LEAST 20 % oF THE POPULATION IS ETHNIC HUNGARIAN. In KolozsvÁr only 19 % is Hungarian,ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL ROMANIAN CENSUS. |
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References: 1 Transylvania: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transsylvanie 2 Cluj Napoca: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca 3 Nationalism of Funar: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca 4 = 6: European charter of minority languages http://www.hungarian-human-rights.eu/Charter_nl.pdf 5 CEMO petitie aan de burgemeester van Kolozsvár . Een vereniging die opkomt voor burgerrechten. 7 RMDSZ is the party of the ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania. http://www.rmdsz.eu |
Contact: |
7. Old fashioned Nationalism from the 20th century. ? |
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The backward nationalism of the 20th century is still alive in today's Kolozsvár. Besides the general negative attitude of governmental bodies toward the Hungarian language and culture, it has occurred several times that ethnic Hungarians young people have been attacked by Romanian nationalist on the streets, the sole reason for these attacks consisted of the usage of the Hungarian Language. Romanian police is rather uninterested in these cases. This nationalism is unknown in today's western Europe.
This nationalism stems from political view that Europe knows from the first and second world war. The patient Europe should be cured from this deadly disease. The war in former Yugoslavia showed the devastating effects of this nationalism and blind hatred. The forceful Romanization of the autonomous population is a step back in history.
A state which labours to neutralize, to absurd or to expel them destroys its own vitality; a state which does not include them is destitute of the chief basis of self government. The theory of nationality therefore is a retrograde step in history. (Lord Acton: Nationality 1862) |
9. What should be done ? |
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We hope that the population of Kolozsvár will be able to get rid of its ugly past and can find its way in the European Union.
The charter of regional and autonomous languages that has been ratified in 2008 must be observed.
Proportional ethnic representation in all governmental bodies and a compensation for the lack of it.
This means that in a city like Kolozsvár the ethnic composition of the police force should reflect the ethnic composition of the autonomous population.
The autonomous Hungarian language must be used again in the public administration of Kolozsvár.
Renunciation of nationalism and openly condemning all violent acts against the autonomous population.
Drs. Gábor Landman European Committee Human Rights Hungarians Central Europe December 2009 |
FigurE 4. HUNGARIANS HAVE TO FIGHT FOR A SOCIETY IN WHICH THEY HAVE EQUAL CIVIL RIGHTS. |
Figure 6.GrEETINGS FROM KOLOZSVáR CLUJ-NAPOCA. PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A HIGHER RESOLUTION. |
FigurE 7. ROMANIA HAS BEEN A VERY ISLOLATED DICATORSHIP TILL 1989. IT WAS A TERRIBLE SOCIETY IN WHICH EVERYONE WAS CONTROLLED BY THE SECRET POLICE, THE SECURITATE. |
FigurE 3. PUBLIC HUMILITIANS BY THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENTIN KOLOZSVÁR (CLUJ-NAPOCA). |
FigurE 3. THE COLOURS OF THE ROMANIAN FLAG ARE USED EVERYWHERE . SUCH AN EXPRESSION OF NATIONALISM WOULD BE UNTHINKABLE IN THE NETHERLANDS amongst others. |
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HUNGARIANS IN TRANSYLVANIA HAVE TO FIGHT FOR THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS. Language battle in Kolozsvár / Cluj Napoca. |
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THIS SIGN IS PLACED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CITY,WHICH WELCOMES THE VISITOR TO KOLOZSVÁR IN SEVEN LANGUAGES BUT NOT IN HUNGARIAN. |
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THIS SIGN STATES THAT ROMANIAN IS THE ONLY OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION TO PUT SUCH A SIGN AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CITY.ITS SOLE PURPOSE IS TO CAUSE HARM TO THE HUNGARIAN POPULATION OF KOLOZSVÁR. |
THE PRIMITIVE AND BACKWARD NATIONALISM OF THIS SOCIETY HAS NOT DISAPPEARED YET. |