Far-right irredentism harms Szekler autonomy

A conservative columnist suggests that radical right-wing irredentist Hungarians who want to restore Greater Hungary are undermining pro-autonomy movements in Transylvania.

Romanian authorities barred four Hungarian citizens from entering the country, including two current MPs of the far-right Jobbik party, as well as a member of the paramilitary Betyársereg and a New Hungarian Guardsman. The Romanian authorities claim that the four radical nationalist individuals are a threat to law and order. The four Hungarians took part in the Szekler Autonomy Day demonstrations on March 10, when minor incidents between the protestors and the local police were reported. Some demonstrators shouted pro-autonomy slogans, while others demanded the revision of the 1920 Trianon Peace Treaty annexing the Transylvanian region to Romania.

Those dumb radical nationalists who demand the revision of the Trianon Peace Treaty and want to reclaim the Transylvanian territories hurt the cause of Szekler Autonomy, Lehel Kristály writes in Magyar Hírlap. The presence of radical right-wing troublemakers at pro-autonomy demonstrations only helps Romanian nationalists who refuse to grant autonomy to the Hungarian majority Szekler region, the conservative columnist believes. Their irredentist slogans alienate even moderate Romanians, Kristály adds. Hard core nationalists who advocate territorial revisions do not seem to understand that the re-annexation of Transylvania would mean that the Romanian majority would become part of Hungary. In conclusion, Kristály recommends that Hungarians once and for all stop nurturing dreams of reuniting historical Greater Hungary, and instead help Hungarian communities in the neighbouring countries in their pursuit of minority rights and autonomy.

Tags: diaspora, Hungarian Guard, Jobbik, transborder politics, Transylvania