Székely Freedom Day

The Székely Freedom Day (Hungarian: Székely Szabadság Napja; Romanian: Ziua Libertății Secuilor) is a public holiday of Romania celebrated by the Székely minority of the country. It is celebrated every 10 March in Târgu Mureș, but also in other parts of Székely Land and internationally.[1] The holiday was created according to a decision of the Szekler National Council on 6 January 2012.[2]

Székely Freedom Day
Protesters in Budapest (Hungary) calling for Székely autonomy on the Székely Freedom Day
Observed byRomania
TypeLocal
SignificanceCommemoration of the execution of three Hungarian revolutionaries in 1854
CelebrationsProtests for the Székely autonomy movement
Date10 March
Next time10 March 2021 (2021-03-10)
Frequencyannual

The same council said that this day (10 March) was chosen to commemorate the execution of Mihály Gálffy, Károly Horváth and János Török in 1854 at Târgu Mureș. They were Hungarian revolutionaries who, after the defeat in 1848, reorganized in Bucharest but were later caught and executed by the Austrian Empire's authorities.[1]

There have been complaints as, on this day, there are often protests for the autonomy of the Székelys, which have caused conflicts between the protesters and the Romanian authorities. In addition, the holiday has been attended earlier as well by Hungarian far-right parties and groups such as Jobbik and the Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement.[1] Protests for the autonomy of the Székelys have also occurred in Hungary as a sign of support.[3]

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, events related to the Székely Freedom Day suffered restrictions. The same year, a collection of signatures that were to be sent to the European Citizens' Initiative was carried out. This was done mainly with the intention that the European Union (EU) would provide support to the Hungarian regional communities in Romania.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. Plăiașu, Ciprian (10 March 2020). "Adevărul despre 10 Martie - Ziua Libertații Secuiești". Historia (in Romanian).
  2. Gyöngy-Pethő, Krisztina (10 March 2020). "A székelyekben élő szabadságeszmény kiirthatatlan – Kovászna Megye Tanácsának elnöke a Vasárnapnak". Vasárnap.hu (in Hungarian).
  3. "Székely Freedom Day: commemorations and protests – Photos". Daily News Hungary. 11 March 2015.
  4. "Székely szabadság napja: a rendezvény elmaradt, az aláírásgyűjtés folytatódik". Híradó (in Hungarian). 11 March 2020.
  5. "Csütörtök éjfélig lehet még aláírni a Székely Nemzeti Tanács európai kezdeményezését". Infostart (in Hungarian). 7 May 2020.
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