Similar to the practice of previous years, the Brasov municipality welcomed the Hungarians with red, white and green decorative lighting on Tuesday evening on the occasion of the celebration of the founding of the state. The kind gesture provoked violent reactions from nationalist Romanians.
The mayor's office of the county seat announced earlier in the day that in honor of the Hungarian national holiday, the Brasov town hall will be illuminated in red, white and green in the evening. The giant letters outlining the Romanian name of the city (Brașov) on Cenk Hill, which rises above Brașov, were similarly illuminated. According to the post posted on the community page of the town hall, the gesture is intended to acknowledge the centuries-old contribution of the Hungarian community in Brasov to the development of the city.
The mayor's office recalled: Brasó was not only an important economic and cultural center, but also a model city for the good harmony of the three ethnic groups living in it.
They explained that the city was made up of the Romanian community of Bolgárszeg, the Hungarian community of Bologna and the Saxon community of Old Brassó. The mayor's office mentioned: the celebration of the founding of the Hungarian state is an important event for the Hungarians of Transylvania and Bánság, and within this also for the 11,000-strong Hungarian community in Brasov. (According to the data of the 2021 census, 28,221 Hungarians live in Brasó county).
Mayor Allen Colliban also dedicated a statement to the celebration of the foundation of the Hungarian state, who, after obtaining his mandate four years ago, first introduced this form of tribute to Hungarians in 2021. The politician of the Save Romania (USR) party - who also used to greet the Hungarians on March 15 - said: on August 20 in Brasov, "we will celebrate diversity and mutual respect together" . The mayor said that with the symbolic gesture, the municipality wants to express its respect for the Hungarians who "contribute to the cultural wealth of the city"
"We can call ourselves lucky that today we can live in Brasov, which is a model of peaceful coexistence in a Europe of freedom and inclusion. Anyone trying to incite discord or tension between ethnicities would do well to come to Brasov, where they can learn about multiculturalism and how mutual respect can build a better future for all of us. God bless you, Hungary! God bless the Hungarian community in Brasov!"
- wrote Allen Coliban, then ended his message with a greeting in Hungarian: "We wish everyone a happy holiday!"
It should be noted that the mayor lost in the local elections organized on June 9 against the joint candidate of the governing coalition PNL and PSD, the liberal George Scripcaru, who will take over his mandate in September. Some people also expressed their displeasure on the Colliban social page because of the gesture towards the Hungarians, but their number is negligible here.
However, the post announcing the red-white-green decorative lighting on the Facebook page of the mayor's office received a lot of comments, and the majority condemned the "celebration" of . Several people remind us that the Hungarians are demanding autonomy in the "heart of Romania" , in Transylvania, while others wonder whether buildings in Budapest will also be lit up with red-yellow-blue colors on Romania's national holiday, the first of December.
Featured image: Giant letters depicting the Romanian name of the city (Brașov) on the Cenk Hill towering over Brașov were once again in red-white-green colors this year in honor of August 20. Photo: Brașov Mayor's Office
