DEMONSTRATION SUMMARY & MESSAGE FROM: Sabin Gherman

[Robert Imreh - ProTransylvania]

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SUMMARY

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THE DEMONSTRATION WENT WELL!
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Saturday, Dec. 9th 2000, Washington D.C.
- in front of the Romanian Embassy

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who participated - and I
would also like to thank in the name of the other organizers, and in the
name of ALL Transylvanians (Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Gypsies, Jews,
and other ethnic groups).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!!!
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The demonstrators participated with various signs, and slogans focusing
on the following issues:
· The outlawing of the Pro Transylvania Foundation
· Administrative and financial autonomy for Transylvania
· Interethnic dialog in Transylvania
· Preservation of Transylvania as a multiethnic region of Central Europe
· The emergence of xenophobic Corneliu Vadim Tudor's ultra-nationalists
with their threats against ethnic minorities
· The growing military presence in Hungarian communities in
Transylvania
· The continued denial of the Roman Catholic Csángó people the right to
worship God in their mother tongue
· Return of Hungarian universities and other education institutions
· Return of land and property confiscated from churches and individuals
· Granting the Hungarian churches the same rights enjoyed by the
Orthodox church

There were no racist, or anti-Romanian and similar manifestations,
everything proceeded in a highly civilized manner. We got our point across
to a large walk-by / drive-by public, and also some limited media coverage
(Central European Review , and others).

BONUS :)
Next day, on Sunday (Dec. 10th, 2000) a few of us went back to protest
the current Romanian presidential elections.
Signs, and slogans focusing on the following issues:
The emergence of xenophobic Corneliu Vadim Tudor's ultra-nationalists.
The poor choice between the communist I. Illiescu and the ultra
nationalist C.V. Tudor (&#8220;Romania&#8217;s Dream Team&#8221; &#8211;
as one of our signs read).

With this occasion I would like to, also, thank every single one of you
who helped organizing the demonstration - great job !!!

And last but not least, I especially thank for those AMERICANS, who
don&#8217;t have any Transylvanian/Hungarian/Romanian ancestry, but have
found a place in their heart for these issues, and have taken the effort
to come to our demonstration and support us for those 3 hours on Saturday
&#8211; THANK YOU.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Imreh, president of proTRANSILVANIA &#8211; North America @
http://www.transylvanianet.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabin Gherman &#8211; an ethnic Romanian from Transylvania (Cluj,
Kolozsvar, Klaussenburg), and the president of proTRANSILVANIA
[Transylvania / Romania branch] has expressed his thanks for the
proTRANSILVANIA demonstration / picketing in front of the Romanian
Embassy, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.:

(Sabin Gherman, thanking the Washington proTransylvania demonstration /
picketing &#8211; English, translation) &#8220;I am very glad that we were
able to get some of the Romanian media to publish the pictures and text
related to the proTRANSILVANIA demonstration (picketing) in front of the
Romanian Embassy. from Washington D.C., U.S.A.. I would like you to know,
that what you have organized there (in Washington D.C.), it is of a
fantastic importance, and us proTRANSILVANIA from here
(Transylvania/Romania), appreciate it a lot.  It is a mouthful of oxygen,
a beginning, and a confirmation for those who hesitate yet, a confirmation
that we are not alone, left here in Romania.&#8221;

(also Sabin Gherman&#8217;s, words - in English) &#8220;I think that the
world has come to a point where it understands our right to defend our
belonging to the European culture, to multiculturalism, to autonomy, and
the belief that minorities always represent an exceptional cultural
heritage which we are obliged to value.

I am very glad that we can collaborate, and that it&#8217;s being
understood, that now we have the unique chance, after hundreds of years,
that Romanians, Hungarians, Germans give our hands for a Transylvania.
It is very good that we are beginning to understand that it is far more
important what unites us, than what separates us, if there is anything
that would separate us.&#8221;

[Sabin Gherman, also informed us that there will be another wave of
proTRANSILVANIA demonstrations / picketing at least in Ireland, and
Switzerland.]

============================
proTRANSILVANIA &#8211; North America,
Washington D.C. branch
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