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in Timisoara after almost 20 years |
"Dracula was Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and we were his
shadow - a handful of North Americans who watched his every move. We especially
monitored his efforts to stamp out the huge Hungarian minority in the
west of Romania. Our efforts included trying to protect the brave and
outspoken Protestant minister László Tőkés in Timisoara.
During the 1970s and 80s we held press conferences, demonstrations and summoned
experts to explore the West's shameful relationship with Eastern Europe's
most brutal ruler.
We were an effective unit, even gaining recognition in the U.S. Congress
and Senate, as well as getting considerable media attention. Still, we
were destined to be just another NGO with an agenda.
That is until two French-Canadians entered the picture in December of
1988. What we organized for them and what they did triggered a series
of events that culminated in Europe's bloodiest overthrow of a Communist
regime."
Árpád Szőczi