Page 48 - bne_Magazine_September_2018

48 I Southeast Europe bne September 2018
The protest was intended as a symbolic moment, with Romanians all around the world joining their fellows in the country in expressing their discontent with the way the country is governed.
Violence erupts at mass protest staged by Romanian diaspora in Bucharest
The large variety of flags waved in the square, such as those from the US, the UK, Italy and Canada, revealed the diverse range of countries some of the protesters are now living in. Corruption and poor governance are among the rea- sons why young Romanians have been leaving the country in large numbers.
The protesters were mainly unhappy with the controversial justice legisla- tion adopted by the parliament, widely criticised for weakening Romania’s
fight against corruption. Since coming to power at the end of 2016, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) led government has been waging a constant war against the National Anticorruption Director- ate’s (DNA’s) efforts and seeking to water down anti-corruption legislation.
PSD leader Liviu Dragnea is seen
as one of the beneficiaries of the changed legislation, along with other top politicians. Dragnea has received
a two-year suspended sentence for
voter manipulation and was recently sentenced by a first court to three and
a half years in prison for instigation to abuse of power. The efforts by politicians to change the law for their own benefit have appalled many Romanians, sparking a wave of protests that have endured – though in dwindling numbers – since the beginning of 2017.
“It is hard to define what I feel, it’s a mix of frustration and helplessness. They keep doing what they have to do. The only reason I still live in Romania is my parents to whom my son is very
Carmen Simion in Bucharest
More than 450 people were injured when violence erupted at a mass antigovernment protest in Bucharest on August 10. Riot police fought back protesters, spraying impressive quantities of tear gas into
the crowds and using water cannons to disperse the people gathered outside the government building in Victory Square.
Intended as a symbolic moment, with Romanians all around the world joining their fellows in the country
in expressing their discontent with the way the country is governed, the rally will instead be remembered for the violent clashes between protesters and riot police.
Over 100,000 people gathered in Victory Square in Bucharest to protest against corruption in the government, according
www.bne.eu
to estimates made by local media. While this was barely one-tenth of the 1mn aimed for by the organisers, it was the largest protest in Bucharest since February last year, when 300,000
“Tear gas was frequently used during the protest and it seemed to be launched randomly into the crowd”
people are said to have attended a rally in the capital, along with around the same number in other cities around the country.
The protest was organised on Facebook by Romanians living abroad, but was joined by many living in the country.
attached. Otherwise, I would have left long ago,” a protester told bne IntelliNews.
Tensions between the protesters and the riot police rose during the day, when the police intervened with tear gas to dis- perse those trying to break the chain in