Another flag fine in Székelyudvarhely was invalidated by the court

The Székelyudvarhely Court canceled the fine imposed by the prefect of Hargita county on Árpád Gálfi, the mayor of Székelyudvarhely, for displaying Hungarian national symbols in the city on March 15 of this year.

The summary of the first-instance judgment pronounced on Tuesday was published on the portal of the Romanian courts. The prefect may appeal against the judgment within 30 days of official delivery.

In May and June of this year, the court annulled two other similar fines. Among other things, the mayor requested the destruction of the penalty records, citing the fact that the prefect did not visit Székelyudvarhely on the national holidays, so he could not legally issue an on-site report.

Since 2018, the agents of the Romanian government have started punishing Székelyföld mayors who decorate their town with Hungarian flags, ribbons, and cockades on March 15 or October 23. The supervisors asked the court to annul all the fines, but so far they have only achieved partial success. Most of the lawsuits are ongoing.

Of the trials in Székelyudvarhely, only one has had a final verdict so far. The Székelyudvarhely Court found the fine imposed on March 15, 2018 due to Hungarian flags to be legal, but following the mayor's appeal, the Hargita County Court overturned the verdict in May of this year and canceled the fine.

According to the article of the 1994/75 Romanian flag law quoted by the prefects, "flags of other countries may be displayed on public buildings and public spaces in Romania only together with the Romanian flag and only during official state visits or international gatherings". In the court, the Hungarian leaders of Székelyföld referred to the government decision establishing the law's implementation instructions, according to which "those ethnic minorities that have a national organization can use their own symbols at their events."

During the trials, the courts must also examine whether the ribbons, cockades, hearts in the Hungarian national color, which the mayors use to decorate the cities for festive occasions, are classified as flags and fall under the scope of the Flag Act.

MTI

Photo: Székelyudvarhely Mayor's Office