The Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement (, HVIM) is a
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
movement originating in
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and also present in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
and
Serbia
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, advocating the unification of all ethnic
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
that live outside of Hungary and the revision of the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...
from 1920, which defined the current borders of the Hungarian state. The founder and first leader of the movement was László Toroczkai, but he resigned as leader of the movement on October 28, 2006. The next president was György Gyula Zagyva from 2006
https://www.blikk.hu/aktualis/lemond-torockai-mert-a-forradalmat-szervezi/hq097tb]László Toroczkai was no longer an active member of the movement after he was elected mayor of Ásotthalom in 2013. He also resigned from the position of honorary president and declared that he would give way to young people, effectively leaving the Sixty-Four County Youth Movement in 201
It is named in memory of
Kingdom of Hungary, Greater Hungary, which was divided into 64 counties,
although it is an
anachronism
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
, because the Kingdom of Hungary had only 63 counties, but the city of
Fiume and its district as a corpus separatum was under Hungarian rule and it was meant as the 64th county by the founders for simplicity.
Ties to other organisations
The HVIM is responsible for organising the yearly ''
Magyar Sziget'' festival. The youth movement has ties to the ''Betyársereg'' ('Army of Outlaws'), a black-clad 'self-defense force' that has a motor club as well. This group is also present at the HVIM youth camps, teaching kids survival skills as well as Hungarian history.
Charges on alleged terrorist act
On 1 December 2015, István Beke, a member of the organization, was arrested by the
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n authorities for planning to detonate an improvised explosive device in
Târgu Secuiesc during the
Great Union Day parade. Beke was charged with "attempted actions against constitutional order and failure to observe the rules governing the explosive materials regarding the prevention and combat of terrorism".
Zoltán Szőcs, the leader of HVIM's
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n chapter, was also detained. According to the Romanian prosecutor's office, Szőcs had incited Beke and other activists to produce home-made bombs, which would be detonated during the national holiday.
On 1 February 2016, the arrest warrants of the two HVIM members were extended by 30 more days.
On 7 April 2017, Beke and Szőcs were sentenced to 11 months and 10 months imprisonment, respectively. On 4 July 2018, Beke and Szőcs were handed a final sentence of 5 years imprisonment each.
An appeal was filed citing lack of evidence and procedural violations. Attorney Előd Kincses stated that Beke and Szőcs were convicted on charges not found in the Romanian penal code, which the Supreme Court arbitrarily modified without informing the defense.
Violence in Serbia
In September 2011, group of 15 Hungarian members of the "Sixty-Four Counties" movement assaulted 5 Serbian men with metal rods who were going back from their friend's birthday party in
Temerin.
Претучени српски младићи у Темерину - РАДИО-ТЕЛЕВИЗИЈА ВОЈВОДИНЕ
Приступљено 17. 4. 2013. According to the statement of a victim's mother, the attackers were dressed in uniformed Blackshirts
The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...
and attacked the young men because they were speaking Serbian.[Pretučeni srpski mladići u Temerinu - RADIO-TELEVIZIJA VOJVODINE]
Приступљено 17. 4. 2013. As the mother stated, "these children had to be beaten because they are Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
and because they speak Serbian in Serbia
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, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
".
See also
* Our Homeland Movement, Party of László Toroczkai.
References
External links
Official siteFrench Section siteHungarian far-right figure attacked in Serbia
{{Authority control
Far-right politics in Hungary
Hungarian nationalism
Hungarian irredentism
Terrorism in Romania