UDMR's Kelemen: We must take responsibility for our opinions even if our decorations are withdrawn

National leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor says that ethnic Hungarians must take responsibility for their opinions without any fear, even if all their decorations are withdrawn. 

His reaction comes after Wednesday the Honour Council of Romania's Star National Order decided to strip him of a decoration bestowed on him in 2000. 

"We must take responsibility for our opinions without fear, even if all the decorations we have received are withdrawn. Our objective, as Hungarians in Romania, must be to freely take responsibility for our opinions, to think and to work together with all Romanians who are open to dialogue," Kelemen said in a press statement released on Thursday. 

The Honour Council took the decision to withdraw the decoration after Kelemen said in an interview the following: "Although the Hungarians have nothing to celebrate on the Centennial [of Romania's December 1, 1918 Greater Union] they respect December 1." 

"Among the basic principles of democracy is the freedom of individuals to act in accordance with their own conscience and to choose their own way of action. Thus, the citizens have the right to celebrate when they feel like doing it and they also have the freedom to voice their thoughts, opinions and desiderata. The message conveyed by the withdrawal of the decoration is that freedom of speech in Romania today is diminished," said Kelemen. 

He also said that he is sticking to his statements in the interview. AGERPRES .