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| Wass Albert, Hungarian novelist (1908-1998) |
It seems that the vandalism and the defacing of Hungarian patriots' plaques and statues is still continuing. We can only assume that these cowardly actions are perpetrated by extremists without honour. The latest incident happened only last weekend. Debrecen police said that a citizen reported that the statue of Transylvanian writer Albert Wass on the Medgyessy walkway has been vandalized during the weekend. A reverse Nazi swastika and inscription was painted on the novelist's statue. The Hajdu-Bihar Country Police have launched a criminal investigation into the matter. They are currently collecting physical evidence and data that could help find the perpetrator.
Wass Albert served in the Hungarian Army during World War Two in North Transylvania (Romania today). He was accused of ordering the shootings of a couple of Romanian peasants and Jewish civilians during the war. After the war, he was condemned as a war criminal by the Romanian People's Tribunals. The United States refused to extradite Wass to Romania during the Cold War due to lack of evidence. He would live out the remainder of his life in the United States. His books were banned by the communist regimes in Hungary and Romania after 1945. Wass and his novels are very popular with the Hungarian minority living in Romania today. There are several other plaques and statues dedicated to Wass around Hungary and Romania. Wass only became popular after the change of political system in 1989, before this time, his works were unknown to the Hungarian public.
István
