Potapi: ‘we stand by Szekler freedom’

Marking the Day of Szekler Freedom, Arpad Janos Potapi said Hungarians today commemorated the Szekler martyrs who were executed in Targu Mures on March 10, 1854.

“This day is a tribute to our Szekler compatriots fighting for national self-determination,” Potapi said.

He said the Szeklers’ demand for self-determination “is not an unprecedented desire” in the European Union, citing the examples of the Austrians in South Tyrol and the Swedish-speaking residents of the Aland Islands in Finland.

If an ethnic community can freely practice its identity, culture and traditions, as well as operate its own institutions, not only does the given community benefit but so does the successor state too, Potapi said.

He said territorial autonomy entailed protection, self-organisation and local legislation, which was “good for everyone” and “not directed against anyone”.

Potapi urged as many people as possible to participate in the events commemorating the Day of Szekler Freedom, emphasising that this was a common cause of all Hungarians.