László Tőkés: Difference between revisions
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{{eastern name order|Tőkés László}} |
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{{Infobox officeholder |
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|name = László Tőkés |
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|image = |
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|caption = |
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|office = [[Member of the European Parliament]] |
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|term_start = 2007 |
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|term_end = |
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|office2 = [[Vice President of the European Parliament]] |
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|term_start2 = 2010 |
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|term_end2 = |
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|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|4|1}} |
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|birth_place = [[Cluj-Napoca|Cluj]], [[Romania]] |
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|death_date = |
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|death_place = |
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|alma_mater = |
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|occupation = [[Politician]]<br>[[Bishop]] |
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|party = [[European People's Party]] |
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|spouse = |
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}} |
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'''László Tőkés''' ({{convertIPA-hu|l|á|sz|l|ó|-|t|ő|k|é|s}}; born April 1, 1952) is a [[Romania]]n politician of [[Hungarian minority in Romania|Hungarian ethnicity]], currently serving as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (since 2004) and [[Vice President of the European Parliament]] (since 2010). |
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A [[bishop]] of the Királyhágómellék Reformed Ecclesiastical District of the [[Reformed Church in Romania]], he is also a former honorary president of the [[Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania]], and a founding member and president of the [[Hungarian National Council of Transylvania]]. |
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An effort to transfer him from his post as an assistant [[pastor]] in [[Timişoara]] and to evict him from his church flat helped trigger the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989]], which overthrew [[Nicolae Ceauşescu]] and spelled the end of the [[Communist Romania|communist era]] in Romania. |
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==Family== |
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A native of [[Cluj-Napoca|Cluj]], László Tőkés is the son of [[István Tőkés]], professor of theology and former deputy bishop of the Reformed Church. He is married to Edit Joó, with whom he had three children: Sons Máté and Márton, and daughter Ilona. [[Máté Tőkés]], who was only three years old during the Revolution of 1989, later collected the memories of the friends, relatives, and other participants of the events, and in 2005 wrote ''Egymás tükrében'' ("In Each Other's Mirror"), a book about his parents and the hardships of the family. |
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In March 2010 his wife filed for divorce. Edit Tőkés claimed her husband "terrorized and psychically traumatized" her. She accused the Bishop of "numerous affairs" and "absurd habits".<ref>[http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?issue=4651&page=detalii&categorie=homenews&id=20100330-12778]</ref> |
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==Priestly dissident== |
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Like his father, Tőkés was a persistent critic of the Ceauşescu regime. While a pastor in the Transylvanian town of [[Dej]], he contributed to the clandestine [[Hungarian language|Hungarian-language]] journal ''Ellenpontok'' ("Counterpoints"; 1981-82). An article there on abuses of [[human rights]] in Romania appears to have been the occasion of his first harassment by the [[Securitate]]. He was reassigned to the village of [[Sânpetru de Câmpie]], but refused to go and instead spent two years living in his parents' house in [[Cluj-Napoca]].<ref>Deletant, online, p.49‒50</ref> |
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His situation was discussed in the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations]], which led indirectly to his appointment to be assistant pastor in Timişoara, where he gave sermons that opposed the Romanian national government's program of [[systematization]], which proposed radical restructuring of the infrastructure of Romanian towns and villages. This was seen by Hungarians as a particular threat to their villages, although Tőkés' sermons did not single this out, calling for solidarity between Hungarians and Romanians.<ref name="Deletant, online, p. 50">Deletant, online, p. 50</ref> |
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In the summer of 1988, he organized opposition to systematization among Hungarian Reformed Church pastors, again drawing the strong attention of the Securitate. After the Securitate objected to a cultural festival organized on October 31, 1988 (the Day of Reformation), jointly with the amateur Hungarian-language theatre group "Thalia", Bishop [[László Papp (clergyman)|László Papp]] banned all youth activities in the [[Banat of Temeswar|Banat]] (the region of which Timişoara is part). Tőkés nonetheless collaborated with the bishop of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] on another festival in spring 1989.<ref name="Deletant, online, p. 50"/> |
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On March 31, 1989, Papp ordered Tőkés to stop preaching in Timişoara and move to the isolated parish of [[Mineu]]. Tőkés refused the order, and his congregation supported him. The bishop began civil proceedings to [[eviction|evict]] him from his church flat. His power was cut off and his ration book taken away, but his parishioners continued to support and provision him, some of them being arrested and beaten for their trouble. At least one, Ernő Ujvárossy, was found murdered in the woods outside Timişoara on September 14, and Tőkés's father was briefly arrested.<ref>Deletant, online, p.51</ref> |
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A court ordered Tőkés' eviction on October 20. He appealed. On November 2, four attackers armed with knives broke into his flat; Securitate agents looked on while he and his friends fought off the assailants. The Romanian ambassador was summoned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry and told of the Hungarian government's concern for his safety. His appeal was turned down, and his eviction set for Friday December 15.<ref>Deletant, online, p. 51</ref> |
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==December 1989== |
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As December 15 approached, Tőkés’ parishioners began something of a vigil outside his flat, refusing two guards’ orders to move along. On December 15, a human chain was formed around the block; the militia were unable to gain access. Tőkés thanked the crowd but advised them to leave, but several hundred stayed in groups close to the flat. His wife, Edit, who was pregnant at the time, fell ill. On December 16, the family doctor appeared to see Edit. Within half an hour, the mayor of Timişoara appeared with three more doctors, hoping to persuade Edit to head to a hospital. On the advice of their family doctor, she refused.<ref>Deletant, online, p. 52</ref> |
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Shortly afterwards, workmen arrived to repair the damaged windows and door to the flat; presumably the mayor was hoping to defuse matters, but the crowds actually grew, with young Romanians joining the Hungarian parishioners. Tőkés spoke with the mayor and again urged the crowd to disperse. The crowd remained; the mayor stormed away, returned at noon, and promised that Tőkés would not be evicted. The crowd remained; some of them accused Tőkés of collaborating with the authorities and demanded a written retraction of Tőkés’ transfer and eviction. The mayor promised to produce this within an hour; if he intended actually to do so, it proved impossible on a Saturday.<ref>Deletant, online, p. 52‒53</ref> |
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After various negotiations with the mayor and the deputy mayor and the involvement of various delegations, the mayor gave an ultimatum for the crowd to disperse by 5 p.m. or face fire-brigade water cannons. Tőkés again pleaded with the crowd to disperse, but, possibly convinced that he was acting under threats from the Securitate, they refused. The crowd beckoned him to leave his apartment and come down to the street. He refused, presumably fearful of being seen as the leader of this resistance.<ref>Deletant, online, p. 53</ref> |
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Five p.m. came and went without water cannons. By 7 p.m. the crowds extended for several blocks and included many students from the local polytechnic and university, Romanians and Hungarians in a human chain, first singing hymns, but about 7:30 launching into the patriotic song [[Deşteaptă-te, române!]] ("Wake up, O, Romanian!"), banned in 1947 at the beginning of the communist dictatorship and sung during the November 1987 protests in [[Braşov]].<ref>Deletant, online, p. 53‒54</ref> |
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In Deletant's words, "The Hungarian protest had now become a Romanian revolt." Cries were raised, "Down with Ceauşescu!" "Down with the regime!" and "Down with Communism!" The crowd moved out from around Tőkés' flat and church, crossed a bridge, and headed for the city centre and Communist Party headquarters, where they threw stones before militia drove them back toward the church around 10 p.m. and the water cannons finally came into play. However, the crowd seized the cannons, broke them up, and threw the parts into the river [[Bega]]. A general spirit of roving riot ensued.<ref name="Deletant, online, p. 54">Deletant, online, p. 54</ref> |
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Demonstrations continued the next two days. On Sunday, December 17, the army fired into the crowd. The number of casualties has been a matter of dispute; early reports were undoubtedly exaggerated. The number of deaths was 73 for the period December 16-22, 1989, and another 20 for the period after Ceauşescu fled.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timisoara.com/newmioc/69.htm |title=Martirii revolutiei timisorene |work=CyberTim Timisoara's Homepage}}</ref> On [[Elena Ceauşescu]]'s orders, 40 of the dead were transported by truck (lorry) to Bucharest and cremated to make identification impossible.<ref name="Deletant, online, p. 54"/> |
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On December 18, tens of thousands of industrial workers in Timişoara peacefully took up the protest; by December 20 the city was effectively in insurrection.<ref name="Deletant, online, p. 54"/> |
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The news of the protests and the violent government crackdown spread quickly across Romania and triggered many more protests. They quickly escalated into the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989]] that overthrew Ceauşescu and the Communist government. |
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== Bishop of Oradea == |
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After the dispossession of the discredited Communist [[bishop of Oradea]], [[László Papp (clergyman)|László Papp]] in 1989, Tőkés was elected as a bishop of the Reformed Church District of [[Oradea]] as official name). He was re-elected most recently in 2004 for another six-year term. During his tenure, he worked hard for the reorganization of the disintegrated church and the renewal of spiritual life. He emphasized the importance of Hungarian-language education, social responsibility, and missionary work. It was his top priority to win back the confiscated properties and schools of the church, but ownership-restoration in Romania proved to be an extremely difficult, slow and—so far—unsuccessful process. |
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In spite of the financial difficulties, he established new social and educational institutions instead of the old ones. The [[Christian University of Partium]] in Oradea was one of the bishop's favorite projects as the first Hungarian-language private university in Romania (opened in 1999). His other notable initiatives are the child-care center in Oradea, an orphanage in [[Aleşd]], Bethesda Health-Care Center in [[Arduzel]], Peter Reformed Elementary School in [[Salonta]], and a nursing home in [[Tinca]]. The Lórántffy Zsuzsanna Ecclesiastical Centre of the Hungarian Reformed Church with a museum, auditorium, and social care centre was inaugurated in 1996. |
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==Political career== |
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In 2007 Tőkés decided to run for the [[European Parliament]] as an independent, receiving the backing of Hungary's [[Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union|Fidesz]].<ref>{{Ro icon}} [http://stiri.acasa.ro/stiri/FIDESZ-il-va-sustine-pe-T-kes-pentru-PE_--s63624.html "FIDESZ îl va susţine pe Tökes pentru PE" ("FIDESZ Will Support Tőkés for EP")], acasa.ro, July 21, 2007.</ref> At the [[European Parliament election, 2007 (Romania)|November election]], he gained enough votes to win a seat. In competition with the [[Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania]], the main party of Romania's Hungarians, Tőkés was accused, for instance by a leading politician of that party, [[György Frunda]], of splitting the Hungarian vote.<ref>{{Ro icon}} [http://ziua.net/display.php?data=2007-11-26&id=229922 "Maghiarimea divizată" ("Hungarian Community Divided")], ''[[Ziua]]'', November 26, 2007.</ref> Frunda also claimed that Tőkés was helped by President Băsescu and noted that he received 18,000 votes from [[Wallachia]] and [[Moldavia]], places where few Hungarians live.<ref> [http://www.gandul.info/politica/frunda-ii-numara-moldovenii-si-muntenii-lui-t-k-s.html?3928;1080516 "Frunda îi numără moldovenii şi muntenii lui Tökés"], in ''[[Gândul]]'', December 10, 2007</ref> |
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An unbowed Tőkés commented on election night, "I knocked out the Greater Romania Party", referring to the fact that while he had won a seat, the anti-Hungarian [[Greater Romania Party]] had lost all five of its own.<ref> {{cite web | last = Tóth-Szenesi | first = Attila | title = Index | publisher = [[Index.hu]] | month = November | year = 2007 | url = http://index.hu/politika/kulfold/tl071125/ | accessdate = 2007-11-25 }}</ref> |
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In June 2009, in [[Washington, D.C.]], he was awarded the [[Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom]] for his role in the struggles against Romanian communism.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = | url = http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2788569 | title = Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom Ceremony| year = 2009 | accessdate = 16 June 2009 }}</ref> |
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In May 2010 he became one of the 14 vice-presidents of the [[European Parliament]]. He was elected by 334 votes in favor and 287 abstentions, replacing [[Pál Schmitt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/008-76039-165-06-25-901-20100614IPR76038-14-06-2010-2010-false/default_en.htm |title=Parliament elects László Tőkés as new Vice-President |author= |date=15 June 2010 |work= |publisher=European Parliament |accessdate=23 August 2010}}</ref> |
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He is a signatory of the [[Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism]].<ref name="moresignatures">{{cite web |url= http://praguedeclaration.org/vipsig |title= Prague Declaration: Selected signatories |author= |date= |work= |publisher= [[Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism]] | archiveurl = | archivedate = |accessdate= 2011-05-10 | quote = }}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==References== |
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*Deletant, Dennis, ''Romania under communist rule'' (1999). Center for Romanian Studies in cooperation with the Civic Academy Foundation, ([[Iaşi]], Romania; [[Portland, Oregon]]), ISBN 973-98392-8-2. |
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* Colson, Charles, and Ellen Vaughn, ''Being the Body: a new call for the Church to be light in the darkness'' (2003). W Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN 0-8499-1752-2. |
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* {{Ro icon}} Alex Mihai Stoenescu, ''Istoria loviturilor de stat din Romania. Vol. 4, part 1'' ("The History of Romanian Coups d'État"). Rao publishing house, Bucharest, 2004. An entire chapter is devoted to Tőkés, his background and the December 1989 events. |
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* {{Ro icon}} [http://procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/mmioc/revmistere/default.asp.htm Marius Mioc, "Revoluţia fără mistere: Începutul revoluţiei române: cazul Laszlo Tokes"] ("A revolution without mysteries: the beginning of the Romanian Revolution: the case of Laszlo Tokes") |
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* {{Ro icon}} [http://timisoara.com/newmioc/69.htm List of people killed in Timişoara during Romanian Revolution, published by Marius Mioc in "Revoluţia din Timişoara şi falsificatorii istoriei". Editura Sedona, Timişoara 1999] |
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== External links == |
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* [http://tokeslaszlo.ro/en/ Personal site] |
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{{Members of the European Parliament 2004–2009}} |
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{{Romania MEPs 2009–2014}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokes, Laszlo}} |
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[[Category:1952 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:Calvinist ministers and theologians]] |
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[[Category:Calvinist politicians]] |
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[[Category:Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania politicians]] |
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[[Category:People from Cluj-Napoca]] |
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[[Category:People of the Romanian Revolution of 1989]] |
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[[Category:Romanian bishops]] |
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[[Category:Romanian Calvinists]] |
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[[Category:Romanian dissidents]] |
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[[Category:Romanian memoirists]] |
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[[Category:Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania MEPs]] |
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[[Category:MEPs for Romania 2007–2009]] |
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[[Category:MEPs for Romania 2009–2014]] |
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[[de:László Tőkés]] |
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[[et:László Tőkés]] |
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[[eo:László Tőkés]] |
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[[fr:László Tőkés]] |
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[[it:László Tőkés]] |
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[[hu:Tőkés László]] |
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[[nl:László Tőkés]] |
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[[pl:László Tőkés]] |
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[[ro:László Tőkés]] |
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[[ru:Тёкеш, Ласло]] |
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[[sv:László Tőkés]] |
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