The Mikó Imre Legal Protection Service has learned with shock about the serious incidents following Monday evening’s city derby in Cluj, during which Universitatea Cluj ultras attacked several CFR supporters, including Hungarian minors.
According to press reports and published photos, 15-20 masked attackers ambushed young fans on the street as they were heading home from the stadium. The brutal attack happened suddenly, and one victim suffered such severe injuries that his nose was broken, and wounds on his face required stitches.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that the attackers targeted the youths not only because they were CFR supporters but also due to ethnic motives. Some of the victims were speaking Hungarian, which prompted the aggressors to turn against them violently. According to a relative of one of the injured, the young people did not engage in any provocative behavior; merely speaking their mother tongue was enough to make them a target. The incident suggests that the attacks were carried out deliberately and premeditatedly, specifically seeking Hungarian-speaking victims.
Ethnic-based violence not only violates the dignity of the victims but also fundamentally threatens social coexistence and community security, making it unacceptable both morally and legally.
The CFR Cluj sports club condemned the events in a statement, calling for accountability. They emphasized that no fan should end up in the hospital simply for supporting their favorite team.
Hunor Kelemen, the president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, commented on the incident:
“I refuse to accept the argument that these are just isolated cases. No! As long as Hungarians are attacked just for being Hungarian, just for speaking Hungarian, our community is not completely safe. This is the consequence of extremist, anti-Hungarian parties freely inciting hatred while the state often turns a blind eye. All hate speech must be punished, regardless of who says it—whether a politician or a media figure.”
The Mikó Imre Legal Protection Service very strongly condemns ethnically motivated attacks and calls on authorities to promptly identify and hold the perpetrators accountable. To this end, the organization will file an official complaint with the relevant authorities and monitor the investigation to ensure that the offenders do not go unpunished.
Erika Benkő, the director of the service, stated that anti-Hungarian attacks in Romania are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe. “We see that aggressive anti-Hungarian hatred, which has primarily existed in online narratives, has now spilled into society. Supporters of extremist parties are no longer content with verbal hate speech; they are now taking action. This is a very worrying trend for the future.”
Photo: Kolozsvári Universitatea/Facebook