Demonstration in Sfântu Gheorghe (Transylvania) paying tribute to the Székely flag in 2012

Banners of discord

Romanian leaders never miss an opportunity to annoy the Székelys, Romania’s Hungarian minority. The “war over flags” which has recently been waged by the central government and a number of Transylvanian regional municipalities is only the latest episode in Bucharest’s campaign to create tensions with the Hungarians.

Published on 14 February 2013 at 13:32
Demonstration in Sfântu Gheorghe (Transylvania) paying tribute to the Székely flag in 2012

In France, close to the Swiss border, the white cross on a red background, which is the Swiss flag and also the historic emblem of Savoie, can be found on any street corner or displayed on local doors.

In Romania, within the walls of Alba Iulia’s medieval fortress, which was built more than 300 years ago by the Austrians, every week there is a coup d’état when the flag of the Habsburg Monarchy is raised over the bastion that was once home to Austrian cavalry and artillery regiments. In many Transylvanian towns, you can still see old coats of arms that date from the time when the province belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, sometimes even on official buildings.

None of these emblems, and none of the ceremonies recreated by historians in Alba Iulia, have offended the patriotic sensibilities of Romania’s leaders, who look on with pride when the American Stars and Stripes is raised alongside the Romanian flag, which flies over the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base [near Constanţa in the southeast of the country].

Threatening Romania

However, flying the Székely flag is interpeted as a threat to Romania, because it discreetly calls into question the sovereignty of the province. All of our history books, dating from after 1918, have taught us about the many injustices suffered by Romanians in Transylvania when their capital was in Budapest, and the resistance which fought against the nasty Hungarians who tried to assimilate them. Even today, schoolbooks only teach Romanian children about the negative aspects of Hungarians, which are borne out by the information they get from the TV news.

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

The Hungarians are always to blame. However, this time around, the flag war was triggered by the new centre-left official from the Social Democratic Party appointed by the Victor Ponta government in Covasna County: Codrin Munteanu had the Székely flag removed from his office, even though the courts ruled that it could legally be displayed in November 2012.

Hungarians have been subjected to a "symbolic insult", announced Hungarian diplomat and State Secretary for the government in Budapest, Nemeth Zsolt, who called for all of Romania’s town halls to protest against Bucharest’s policy by displaying the Székely flag.

Smoke and mirrors

Above and beyond the traditional quarrels between Romania and Hungary, centre-left governments have made a habit of fanning the flames of nationalism on both sides of the border; and the current diplomatic scandal is a case in point. Although, it may not be enough to hide the tax increases in Romania, the huge percentage of the budget earmarked for the Romanian Orthodox Church, or increases in the price of gas and surging inflation, it will divert a little attention from these issues and give us the impression that "the Hungarians are to blame" for what is happening in our country.

No doubt this will prompt other European leaders to once again remark that Romania was allowed to join the EU too soon, not only because it has dragged its feet over the drive to eradicate political corruption, but also because it has taste for speeches that raise tensions with its neighbours...

View from Hungary

The Székely taken political hostage by Budapest and Bucharest

For the Hungarian press, depending on the paper’s political slant, interpretations differ. But on one point they do agree: the affair of the Székely flag boils down to internal power games in Hungary and Romania both.

The centre-left daily, Népszabadság stresses that

Budapest is exploiting the Hungarian minority in Romania for political goals: to keep the them in a state of nationalist tension at least until the Hungarian elections in 2014, when they will be allowed to vote too.

The conservative daily Magyar Nemzet, meanwhile, holds internal political quarrels in Romania responsible for the spike in ethnic tension:

the 'diversionary skirmish around the flag' is being used by the Ponta government to divert attention from the budget, which was voted on just as the dispute was breaking out. This budget will raise taxes and cut social security spending – but the Romanian media are more worried by the Székely flag [...]. This suggests that the political elites and journalists of Romania still consider the ethnic Hungarians a ‘powder keg’ in the heart of Transylvania.

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic