In recent days, several highly provocative and deeply concerning AI-generated images and videos have circulated on social media, depicting Romanian politician Lidia Vadim Tudor, a member of parliament from the AUR party, cutting a cake symbolizing Hungary. In the background, an image of a crying Viktor Orbán can be seen, surrounded by Romanian flags. The extremist politician commented on the post on her social media page as “her father’s favorite cake.”
Her father is none other than the late Corneliu Vadim Tudor, who for decades was one of the most extreme and anti-Hungarian figures in Romanian political history and laid the ideological foundations for today’s radically anti-Hungarian political formations. All of these groups—from AUR to SOS Romania—regard the Greater Romania Party founded by Vadim Tudor and the extremist nationalist movement Romanian Hearth (Vatra Românească) as their ideological predecessors and view them with deep respect.
The symbolic dismemberment of Hungary evokes traumatic historical memories among Hungarians, since the country was indeed dismembered in 1920. The cake-cutting video is essentially a reference to the Treaty of Trianon, made with full awareness of how painful a reaction this would provoke among Hungarians.
The Mikó Imre Legal Defence Service strongly condemns Lidia Vadim Tudor’s provocative gesture. We find it tasteless and deeply regrettable that in these complicated times, marked by geopolitical changes, such unfriendly and openly hostile gestures are emerging. We also consider it important that Romanian politicians clearly and firmly distance themselves from this indefensible manifestation.
According to Erika Benkő, head of the Mikó Imre Legal Defence Service: “The daughter of the late extremist, virulently anti-Hungarian politician, Lidia Vadim Tudor, is one of the manifestations within AUR of the ideological continuity of radical anti-Hungarian sentiment whose main leading figure was Corneliu Vadim Tudor. We know that Romanian nationalists are very fond of operating with Trianon symbolism; this cake-cutting was also a clear reference to the dismemberment of Hungary in 1920, when the great powers decided to carve up the country and two-thirds of its territory were transferred to neighboring states. Lidia Vadim Tudor’s gesture is an unambiguous message: what happened once could happen again, or it would be desirable for it to happen again. This is a particularly concerning act in the current, rather complicated times, when profound changes are taking place in the world. I would like to quote the words of Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who, in connection with the cutting of a Greenland cake by AUR leader Simion in Washington, said that he “would not like to see a cake on which Romania is being cut up”. It is striking that while the Romanian political sphere clearly and unanimously condemned the cutting of the Greenland cake, I have so far seen no meaningful reaction to Lidia Vadim’s cake. This is at least as saddening as Lidia Vadim’s cake video.”
Our service will immediately bring this case to the attention of international public opinion and will also turn to the National Council for Combating Discrimination in this matter.
(Photo: Facebook)