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Kanadai Magyarok Országos Szövetsége Alliance Nationale des Hongrois au Canada

www.kmosz.ca

National Alliance of Hungarians in Canada

Founded by 65 Canadian-Hungarian organizations in 2012

100 Gloucester St., Suite 352

Ottawa, ON, K2P 0A4

Canada

Ambassador Maria Ligor

Romanian Embassy

655 Rideau Street

Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6A3

Canada

Ottawa, October 26, 2013

Your Excellency,

We, the National Alliance of Hungarians in Canada (NAHC)/Kanadai Magyarok Országos

Szövetsége (KMOSz), hereby express our solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Szeklers

and Hungarians in Transylvania, Romania, who are protesting during the Great March of

October 27, 2013 against the Planned Territorial and Administrative reorganization of Romania.

The reorganization would, in effect, incorporate majority Hungarian counties into larger

Romanian regions, thereby curtailing further the survival of the centuries-old Szekler-Hungarian

inhabited regions and lead to their assimilation.

This is totally unacceptable, as it would lead to the destruction of an entire centuries-old culture

and language.

Language, Racial Discrimination

Proof of that is the most recent case of Lakó Péterfi Tünde in Târgu-Mureş/Marosvásárhely

(October 8, 2013), which is one of the many examples of the linguistic abuse and harassment

Hungarians are constantly being subjected to in Romania, not to mention that it is a deep

violation of basic human rights to charge, try, and convict anyone for communicating in his or

her own mother tongue.

These abuses are unbecoming of a civilized nation, especially of an EU member state.

This must stop.

Hungarians in Romania, the largest minority in Europe, have endured continued discrimination

for decades. They are not the enemy of the state or the Romanian population. Proof of that is that

the Revolution in 1989 was started by them in Timişoara/Temesvár and they were always

fighting for the country’s liberation from under the communist and dictatorial regime, shoulder-

to-shoulder with the Romanian people.

It is every human being’s most basic right to exercise his or her mother tongue, which is the only

one through which the deepest thoughts and feelings can be expressed and communicated.

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Kanadai Magyarok Országos Szövetsége Alliance Nationale des Hongrois au Canada

www.kmosz.ca

National Alliance of Hungarians in Canada

Founded by 65 Canadian-Hungarian organizations in 2012

100 Gloucester St., Suite 352

Ottawa, ON, K2P 0A4

Canada

Romania should embrace the cultural heritage and language the Szeklers have, as it is just as

much part of Romania’s history as it is of their own, and can only enrich the entire country.

When it comes to this, it is also unacceptable for government institutions and service providers,

including hospitals, not to have a significant percentage of leaders, managers and employees that

are able to communicate in the mother tongue of the surrounding majority, that is, Hungarian in

case of the three counties forming Szekerland/Secuimea/Székelység.

Keep your Promises

We would like to remind the entire nation that Romania has signed numerous bilateral

agreements and treaties, thereby making promises for the nourishment of all minority cultures

and heritages, of which almost none have been kept or cared for. The most important being the

Proclamation from Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár on December 1st 1918, where equal rights and

equality were promised but not yet kept for over 90 years! In the words of the treaty (Section

III.1):

“Comprehensive national liberty for all cohabitant nationalities. Each nationality

will learn, administer and judge using its own language by its own individuals,

and each nationality will have the right to represent itself in the legislative bodies

and in the government of the country, in proportions corresponding to their own

population.”

(Original wording:

“Deplină libertate naţională pentru toate popoarele conlocuitoare. Fiecare popor se va instrui, administra şi judeca în limba sa

proprie prin indivizi din sînul său şi fiecare popor va primi drept de reprezentare în corpurile legiuitoare şi la guvernarea ţării

în proporţie cu numărul indivizilor ce-l alcătuiesc.”)

We urge you to start working on those promises and to become a strong supporter of mutual

respect between the different ethnic groups, and to assure the proper space for them, both social

and institutional.

Autonomy, the only Guarantee

We are therefore requesting that the majority Szekler counties be granted autonomous region

status – such as Scotland, Sardinia, South Tyrol, Catalonia, just to name a few – within Romania

as this would be the only true guarantee that Szeklers and Hungarians will be finally free from all

the linguistic, cultural and economic and human rights abuses they have been subjected to for far

too long at the hands of the surrounding Romanian majority.

Incidentally, many Romanians are also in favour of regional autonomies within Romania, as

stated just a few days ago by well-known Angela Tocilă of Oradea/Nagyvárad on October 24,

2013.

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Kanadai Magyarok Országos Szövetsége Alliance Nationale des Hongrois au Canada

www.kmosz.ca

National Alliance of Hungarians in Canada

Founded by 65 Canadian-Hungarian organizations in 2012

100 Gloucester St., Suite 352

Ottawa, ON, K2P 0A4

Canada

Canadian model

As Canadians, we also urge you to follow this country’s example which recognized “that the

Québécois form a nation within a united Canada” as adopted by the House of Commons in

Ottawa on November 27, 2006.

Furthermore, we demand equal rights for Hungarians and Romanians throughout the entire

country, not only in writing, but in actual practice as well.

Live and let live, respecting each other’s ethnic and cultural diversity as that is what leads to real

prosperity, friendship and freedom at all levels, as we are experiencing it here in Canada!

Economic Prosperity

It is our strong belief that meeting the demands herein and granting autonomy to the

Szeklers/Secuimea/Székelyek in the terms set forth by the Szekler National Council, Romania,

will only be received with the highest international esteem and appreciation. Furthermore, it will

spark increased prosperity and trade on all levels, that is, local, regional, national and

international that would benefit not only Romania, but every corner of the world, including

Canada.

There is absolutely nothing Romania can lose by granting the strongly requested autonomy.

This is a ‘‘win-win’’ situation for all concerned.

Respectfully,

Dr. Feszty Dániel, Ottawa

President of NAHC

and the Regional Vice Presidents of the NAHC:

Bódi Julianna, Montréal

Montréal and Québec

Dr. Lapohos Tibor, Ottawa

Eastern Ontario and Capital Region

Rev. Vass Zoltán, Toronto

Greater Toronto

Komáromi Zoltán, Kitchener

South-West Ontario

Szabó László, Calgary

Alberta

Ábrahám Tibor, Vancouver

British Columbia