Nearly 350 persons have commemorated Szeklers killed at Siculeni, in 1764, by then Austrian rule

Nearly 350 people participated on Saturday, in the town of Siculeni in central County of Harghita, in the commemoration of the Szeklers killed in 1764 because they refused to enlist in the Austrian imperial troops.

The event, which takes place every year, was also attended by the Hungarian Justice minister, Varga Judit, and it started at the local church, where a memorial service took place. The participants gathered afterwards at the Siculicidium monument, erected in memory of those killed, where speeches were held and wreaths were laid.

In addition to Varga Judit, the commemoration was attended by local and county authorities from Harghita and Covasna, UDMR (Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania) parliamentarians, representatives of other Hungarian organizations, as well as Potapi Arpad Janos, secretary of state, responsible for national solidarity policy in the government of Hungary, but also the minister of the Environment in the government of Romania, Barna Tanczos.

The Hungarian Justice minister Varga Judit, in her speech, evoked the events of 1764, "which still arouse very strong feelings" and said that the martyrs of Siculeni kept to their traditions, demanded that their freedoms be respected, believed in God and in justice and thus they faced an empire, and lessons must be learned from their martyrdom.

She emphasised that the most important for the Hungarian government is that the Szeklers preserve their identity.

She also mentioned the support offered by the Hungarian Government for the Hungarians in Romania, namely the support of the education system in Transylvania, the support given to churches, the development of sports, but also the help of entrepreneurs in the area and the existing cooperation between the local administrations in the area and those in Hungary.

According to historical data, the inhabitants of Siculeni were killed because they refused to enlist in the Austrian imperial troops. At dawn on January 7, 1764, 1,350 Austrian soldiers surrounded the village of Siculeni, and two cannons opened fire on the village. Later, the soldiers entered the bombed village and slaughtered everyone who came in their way, including women and children.

The official figures of the time estimate the number of dead at 200, but the military prosecutor sent to investigate the events put forward a higher figure, claiming that there were probably at least 400 victims. A monument was erected on the site of the slaughter in memory of the massacred.AGERPRES