Anti-Minority Incidents Continue in Vojvodina

January 2005

V.
Vandalism of Multi-Lingual Signs

On August 16, 2003, the official Hungarian National Council of Vojvodina, established in 2002, adopted a resolution governing the use of Hungarian locality names in the province. This act was brought in accordance with the Article 7, Paragraph 1 of the Provincial Assembly’s resolution on official use of national minority languages. Accordingly, the Hungarian names of localities can be posted, and the Hungarian language used in public administration, in those communities where the proportion of the Hungarian population exceeds 15 percent. Thus, the common practice and right afforded under the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution — to post multi-lingual signs of all nationalities inhabiting an area — has been restored in the province. The defacement and vandalism of these new bi- or multi-lingual signs is such a widespread occurrence that only a handful of cases are ever reported.

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May 15, 2004

Residents of Tiszaszentmiklós/Ostijicevo discovered that during the night unidentified vandals had painted over the Hungarian name of the village on all the bi-lingual signs identifying the village. The Latin and Cyrillic Serbian versions of the name were left intact. Police have not investigated the incident. [First-hand report from the Mayor of Csóka, Zoltán Margit, May 16, 2004]

April 2, 2004

Two of the road signs identifying Zenta/Senta were vandalized during the night of April 2. Vandals spray-painted the text “Smrt Mađarima” (Death to Hungarians) on one, and “Ovo je Srbija” (This is Serbia) on the other. A well-known Serbian nationalist acronym “CCCC” is also visible. [Magyar Szó (Újvidék/Novi Sad), April 6, 2004 ]

February 2004

For weeks the sign indicating the entrance to the village of Kisorosz/Rusko Selo has been vandalized regularly. The Hungarian version of the name is painted over during the night, and later reapplied by the locals. [Magyar Szó (Újvidék/Novi Sad), February 16, 2004]

February 13, 2004

Unknown vandals spray-painted over the Hungarian name of Magyarkanizsa/Kanjiza on all four road signs identifying the town. Inhabitants are perplexed by the timing of the incident since these official bilingual signs have been posted for several months. [Magyar Szó (Újvidék/Novi Sad), February 14-15, 2004]

February 4, 2004

In Temerin, unknown perpetrators broke the bi-lingual sign identifying the local Historical Museum. The museum has been a target for Serb nationalists in the past. Two months ago, someone spray-painted the name of the Serb Radical Party on the museum’s door. [Magyar Szó (Újvidék/ Novi Sad), February 5, 2004]

March 8, 2003

Unknown perpetrators spray-painted over the Hungarian name of Szabadka/Subotica on both the entrance and exit road signs identifying the town. The graffiti appeared at the northern part of the town, on the road leading to Palics/Palić. [Magyar Szó (Újvidék/Novi Sad), March 11, 2003]

Tartalom

Vissza a tetejére

Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF) is an international human rights organization which, for the past 28 years, has monitored the human rights condition of the 3 million Hungarians who live as minorities in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, Croatia and Slovenia. In accordance with its purpose, HHRF regularly collects, translates, analyses and disseminates reliable reports on the human rights condition of these communities. With offices in the United States and Europe, the Foundation serves as a clearinghouse of information for Western governments, human rights organizations, the media and the public.