Last week, during a television interview, the now-former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose had this to say about ethnic rights and cultural autonomy in Romania:
“At the time I made it clear that if that [Szekler] flag will be blowing in the wind, the local people responsible will also be hanging up there next to it.”
As I wrote on the blog last week, “That day when the Romanian PM threatened to hang ethnic minorities,” it was an outrageous statement. The former prime minister and his ambassador to Budapest tried to backtrack, claiming something about a double-meaning. But this went far beyond the pale. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó condemned the remark as “unacceptable”.
And what did the European Commission have to say? Hungarian state television M1 asked for a reaction, and here’s what they got from Commission Spokesperson Alex Winterstein:
“We do not wish to make any comment in connection with the statement.”
Not a word.
Imagine what that means to the more than 2 million ethnic minorities, including ethnic Hungarians, in today’s Romania. Don’t count on Brussels for any help.
Being subjected to relentless lecturing from Brussels about European values based on human rights and the rule of law, it should come as no surprise that many citizens of Europe hear reactions like this and see shameful double standards. This is why so many citizens have a hard time taking the eurocrats of Brussels seriously.