Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș — On March 19 and March 20, 1990, at Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș, serious incidents happened in the street when Romanians attacked silently protesting ethnic Hungarians. The events had a negative impact upon interethnic relations in Romania. Transylvania’s Hungarians have been waiting for fifteen years to receive apologies following the anti-Hungarian pogrom. Transylvania’s Hungarians are still waiting for that jurisdiction to reveal who was behind the bloody events. The incident broke out when the ethnic Hungarian inhabitants of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș held a candle-light protest to draw the attention of the new government to the promised restoration of their banned institutions of education.
Eyewitness account
Fragments and photo-documents from “Black Spring — Romania’s Path from Revolution to Pogrom” by eyewitness Előd Kincses, 1992.
“… armed and drunk peasants from the Reghin district soon arrived. The crowd received them with the slogan: ‘Hodac e cu noi’ [the village of Hodac is with us]. The photograph has been seen around the world in which a noncommissioned police officer enthusiastically greets the driver of a bus transporting the terrorists. (…) This was how the moment was recorded by the person manning one video camera in the main square: ‘Look, they have broken through. Jesus Christ, they have pushed out onto the square. With axes. They have gone crazy. I have never seen such a thing in my life. With pitchforks. Good God, he has fallen down. Where are the soldiers?’ One Hungarian journalist in the square prior to this moment describes noticing on the Romanian side a young woman, maybe 19 or 20, hoisted on someone’s shoulders. She was always looking to the rear. He heard her shout: ‘They have arrived, they’re here.’ The young woman jumped down and ran to the side, and suddenly the square was a sea of axes. The Hungarians were now trying to arm themselves in order to return to the scene. They dismantled fences and benches — indeed, it was possible to know who was Hungarian because they held green staves.
Photo caption: Hungarians in a silent demonstration with candles and books in defence of mother-tongue schooling. “They have broken through!” — the first Romanian charge, 20 March 1990, early evening.
Photo caption: One survivor, stabbed in the stomach.
They also raided building sites for weapons. In short, they got hold of anything that appeared suitable and returned to the front of the town hall. From there, they drove the Romanians back to the Grand Hotel. Let me note that the Hungarians of Târgu Mureș wanted to avoid clashes to such an extent that this was the first time during the whole of this period under review that they had actively responded to a Romanian provocation or returned a Romanian attack. Further, the first dead and injured were all Hungarians, which shows (in addition to the video records) who started the violence. … The Hungarians built barricades in the streets leading to the main square so that when — after a big delay — three armoured vehicles arrived, they got caught in the street to the right of the town hall and could not continue. The Hungarians refused to let them through, saying they did not trust the army. After repeated requests of mine, they dismantled a barricade, and thus the three armoured vehicles were able to get to the corner of the square next to the Grand Hotel, closing down the square and the road leading to the town hall. After the army’s arrival, I spoke again: “The soldiers are here, they take their place. Nothing should be done to them. Everybody should now stay in place. I ask everybody to stay in place, nobody should pay attention to the military. Hungarians, remain in your places!” But the arrival of the armoured vehicles emboldened the Romanians (“The army is with us”). They started to throw missiles at the Hungarians more and more aggressively. Paving stones were delivered by a dump truck, gasoline by another truck. Molotov cocktails were being produced, which they threw at the Hungarians. Control over the square ebbed and flowed during this time, with the Hungarians facing the difficulty of confronting the Romanians sheltering behind the armoured vehicles. The Romanians began to advance again. Then, at about 20:00, small parties of young men began to arrive with silent steps behind the Hungarian lines. They wore white so that they would identify each other, and they were well armed. The Hungarian Gypsies of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș had arrived. The Gypsies called out: “Hungarians, never fear! The Gypsies are here!” The Hungarian crowd roared. Together, they attacked and forced the Romanians back behind the armoured vehicles. One of the Gypsy leaders told me: “Mr. Kincses, should we not come to help the Hungarians, when we are Hungarian Gypsies, and it hurts us if the Hungarians are being beaten!” He added: “Today you, tomorrow us…”
Aftermath
The violent clash resulted in more than 100 serious injuries and three ethnic-Hungarian victims: Antal Csipor, István Gémes, and Zoltán Kiss. The offenders have never been challenged. 40 Hungarians and 2 Gypsies were sentenced for their participation in the clashes. 2 sentences were brought against Romanians. The instigators have not been brought to justice.
Former state president Ion Iliescu, on 25 March 2005, declared that Hungarians were to be blamed for the March 1990 events.
Photo caption: Evening of March 20 — Romanians attacking under the cover of tanks.
Photo caption: “Hodac is with us!” — Romanian villagers with iron bars arrive to Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș, in the main square.
Photo caption: After the event — the army finally deploys in strength early on March 21. But only the broken glass is left.
Anti-Hungarian Incident in the Romanian Senate (2005)
The leader of the Great Romania Party (Partidul România Mare) threatened one of the senators of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania in the Upper House of the Romanian Parliament on 15 March 2005. Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor, the former president — now honorary president — of the renamed Great Romania Party (now “People’s Party”), gave voice to his resentment from the pulpit that DAHR Senator of Hargita/Harghita county, Csaba Sógor, as a sign of commemoration of the Hungarian Fight for Freedom and Revolution of 15 March 1848, pinned up a tricolour cockade. The appearance of the Hungarian national colours in the Romanian senate “is the dangerous sign of an escalation of Hungarian chauvinism,” Vadim said.
According to Vadim, he was barely able to keep some senators of his party back from tearing down the cockade, “this Hungarian shred.” “If this happens again,” Vadim said, “he is not sure if he can stop them again” — reported www.transindex.ro.
