Romania is in the grip of its worst anti government protests against wage cuts, taxes and corruption in over a decade, which can turn to riots.
Bucharest / NationalTurk – The protests were the most serious since President Traian Basescu came to power in 2004 and were the result of pent-up frustration against public wage cuts, slashed benefits, higher taxes and widespread corruption.
For the second week running, amid outbreaks of violence, demonstrators have taken a stand against a government they say has brought in low wages, cuts and rising corruption.
At least 7,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest to demand the resignation of Romanian government and its president, Traian Basescu.
The anti-government protests that have been raging since last Sunday have already left at least 60 people injured. On Thursday alone, about 100 people were questioned by the police on suspicion of throwing stones and using iron fences to attack police lines.
Melee fighting has been witnessed that broke out between police and protesters on Thursday .
Reports from the middle of the rallying crowd saw protesters throwing bottles and fences at the police. It is the kind of violence everyone hoped they could avoid but it has broken out in Romania.
Earlier in the day, thousands poured into Bucharest to demand the resignation of the Romanian president, Traian Basescu. In an address to the crowd, opposition politicians called for the government to resign.
“Some people are upset because they have lost their jobs, others because their pension was cut and others because they are being humiliated every day. But there is one thing that unites us all: that we all want Basescu to leave!” Viktor Ponta of Romania’s Social Democratic Party told the protestors.
“You have come from all over Romania. That means that this riot has begun and it must not stop until we reach what we want, what we need,” said Mircea Diaconu from the opposition National Liberal Party of Romania.
As the rally continued, Bucharest police advanced on the crowd using tear gas, and the mood of the protesters grew more militant and aggresive.
“The youth nowadays, what choice do we have? To go out and start to steal, to start mugging people for a purse?” young demonstrator told NT. “Shall we go to Italy, Spain and Germany to start to steal? What for? We want jobs!”. A clear referance taht Romanians have a poor reputation in Europe as thieves.
As the crowd broke up, the effects of the tear gas and the scale of the arrests became apparent.
Protesters have been on the streets day and night to demand far-reaching political change in Romania. However, with violent clashes on the rise, the road to reform looks set to be long and hard-fought.
Protesters staged smaller anti-government rallies sice Saturday in the major Romanian cities of Timisoara, Constanta, Craiova and Cluj and in other smaller cities.
The unlikely catalyst for the protests, however, was the resignation of popular health official Raed Arafat, a Palestinian with Romanian citizenship who opposed health reforms proposed by the Romanian government. On last Friday, Basescu told the government to scrap the reforms, but public anger had already risen against Basescu and the government, which turns slowly into severe riots.
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