Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, attended a commemoration of the Madefalva Massacre in Siculeni (Madefalva), Romania, on Tuesday, in which hundreds of Szekler Hungarians were slain by Austrian troops in 1764.
On January 7, 1764, the troops of Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, retaliated for a protest by some 2,500 Szeklers who refused to serve in the Austrian army under command in Germany.
"The martyrs of Madefalva serve as a reminder that we should always have the courage to stand up for our rights and our truth," Minister Hankó said in his speech at the Siculicidium memorial.
"Hungarians today have to fight to ensure that no decisions about them are made without them and to ensure that everyone belonging to the Hungarian nation feels that they belong somewhere and that their way of life, language, faith and rights are secure," he added.
Barna Tanczos, Romania’s finance minister, said the Szekler people could be counted on today just as they could be in the past.