Kelemen Hunor, president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), has drawn attention to yet another anti-Hungarian bill. According to him, the House of Representatives’ cultural committee recently had on its agenda a draft bill initiated by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which, similar to previous proposals, would introduce a so-called “Day of Respect” for members of national minorities.
The proposal’s essence is that every member of a national minority must express respect for the Romanian nation on a designated day, November 24. Kelemen Hunor stated that this draft reminds him of the anti-Jewish laws of the past century, calling it unacceptable and extremely dangerous.
In a recent interview, the RMDSZ president clarified that the cultural committee has already discussed the proposal, although the vote was postponed, and the decision was delayed. He raised critical questions about the implementation of the proposed law: How do they intend to enforce it? How can one determine who respects the Romanian nation and who does not? How can such respect be measured? Not everyone wears national symbols, and not every minority member can be identified on the street.
These fundamental questions reveal the brutal and unacceptable intent behind the proposal, which seeks to coerce minorities into displaying “respect,” while in reality, it serves as a tool for discrimination and oppression. As Kelemen Hunor put it, “This law clearly evokes the dictatorship of the past and must be rejected!”
The draft bill was submitted to the committee by Gheorghe Adrian Cătană, an AUR senator from Sibiu County, and a decision could be made at any time. RMDSZ spokesperson Csoma Botond also confirmed that although no final decision has been reached, the proposal could resurface at any moment.The RMDSZ president emphasized that such laws are not only unacceptable but pose a threat to the community. The response must be clear: every means must be used to protect the community and reject any violation of rights.
Benkő Erika, head of the Mikó Imre Legal Protection Service, stated: “Unfortunately, this is neither the first nor the last such initiative. I have previously said about similar proposals that I have only heard of such laws in North Korea. This draft law also clearly shows that the AUR, which falsely presents itself as a sovereignist party, is basically an extremist party, using all the tools of incitement and hatred. No matter how hard they try to appear centrist, this party was founded with a different intention, not sovereignism. The cradle of AUR is anti-Hungarian hatred and, in general, extreme and violent nationalism that tramples on others’ freedoms.”