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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
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