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HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people hit the streets across Romania yesterday to protest against the government’s decriminalising of a string of corruption offences, the largest demonstrations there since the fall of communism in 1989.
Between 200,000 and 300,000 protesters, according to media estimates, braved sub-zero temperatures to demonstrate, with some shouting “Thieves!” and “Resign!” a day after the government passed an emergency decree.
In the capital Bucharest some demonstrators hurled bottles, firecrackers and stones at security forces, who responded by firing tear gas. A few police and protesters were lightly injured.
For the second straight night crowds also hit the streets in other cities across the country — including in Timisoara, the cradle of the 1989 revolution.
Over a matter of days that uprising nearly 30 years ago forced dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from power, ending with he and his wife being summarily executed on 25 December, 1989.
In the emergency decree issued late on Tuesday, the government decriminalised certain corruption offences and made abuse of power punishable by jail only if it results in a monetary loss of more than €44,000.
Romania’s left-wing government under the Social Democrats (PSD) has only been in office a few weeks after bouncing back in elections on 11 December, barely a year since mass protests forced them from office.
The government had remained silent since Tuesday evening, but yesterday Justice Minister Florin Iordache wrote on his Facebook page that there was “nothing secret, illegal or immoral” about the emergency decree.
Bucharest said it is putting legislation in line with the constitution. However, critics say the main beneficiary will be PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, currently on trial for alleged abuse of power, as well as other left-wing politicians.
Dragnea, 54, is already barred from office because of a two-year suspended jail sentence for voter fraud handed down last year. His abuse-of-power trial, which began on Tuesday, concerns €24,000.
Another initiative, which Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu will submit to parliament, will see around 2,500 people serving sentences of less than five years for non-violent crimes released from prison.
The government said this will reduce overcrowding in jails but critics say that, again, the main beneficiaries will be the many officials and politicians ensnared in a major anti-corruption drive of recent years.
‘Scandalous’
The anti-corruption push saw Romania make history in 2015 when then-prime minister Victor Ponta went on trial over alleged tax evasion and money laundering, charges he denies.
Only last week the European Commission commended the efforts of ex-communist Romania, which joined the European Union together with neighbouring Bulgaria in 2007 as the bloc’s two poorest members.
But this week’s latest move set off alarm bells in Brussels, with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and his deputy Frans Timmermans issuing a joint statement expressing “deep concern” on Wednesday.
“The fight against corruption needs to be advanced, not undone,” they said.
The Commission warns against backtracking and will look thoroughly at the emergency ordinance… in this light.
Centre-right President Klaus Iohannis, elected in 2014 on an anti-graft platform and a sharp critic of Dragnea, yesterday called the decree “scandalous” and moved to invoke the constitutional court.
Both decrees were published earlier this month, sparking protests last Sunday that drew 40,000 people, including 20,000 in the capital and more than 15,000 a week earlier.
The laws have been heavily criticised by several Romanian officials and institutions, including the attorney general, the anti-corruption chief prosecutor and the president of the high court.
“I am outraged. The PSD won the elections but that doesn’t mean they can sneakily change the penal code in the middle of the night,” protester Gabriela State said.
Yesterday some 20,000 demonstrators gathered in the western city of Cluj, while there were 15,000 in Timisoara and 10,000 in Sibiu in central Romania.
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Wow…The corrupt politicians decriminalise corruption so they can continue being corrupt.
@The Girl: Well, we have something similar called a tribunal. It uses millions to find out if politicians are corrupt. Then does nothing as it is only a tribunal and not a court.
@ The Girl, a bit like many of the politicians in Ireland mostly from FF, FF, Labour and certain crooked independents, rotten to the core yet bizarrely people still vote for them
*FG
I can see a lot of lads in Kildare street thinking for the first time in their lives !!
It looks like the political classes are as self serving across the globe as here, irrespective of their ideology.
If this goes ahead will they be allow stay in the EU!?
@KrusadingKarl: They are not in the EU, but they want to join.
They’d fit right in
@Andy K: Wrong, they ARE in the EU.
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries/romania_en#romania-in-the-eu
They’ve been in the eu since 2007
@KrusadingKarl: They are in the Eu:
http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/home/218684/longford-job-losses-rumours-of-cameron-move-to-romania-refuted-by-unite-official.html
The Unite trade Union guy was 100% incorrect btw.
Used to be 280 people there. The whole lot is going to Romania and expect big redundancies in the next few months (in addition to those already let go).
They are full members of the EU.
Why wouldn’t they be? Their people are fighting against corruption. The people are right. The government can be changed. Romanians are an integral part of the EU.
Our lot of politicians will look at these, shake their heads, tut tut, and whisper, ‘amateurs’.
@Jed I. Knight: Up to a point. Corruption in Ireland is much more sophisticated, and largely legal. But part of the problem is that most of the people involved don’t think of it as legal corruption. They think it’s not corruption at all.
Didn’t the Government here give notice to wealthy tax evaders named in the Panama Papers, that they wouldn’t be charged with anything as long as they withdrew from such schemes.
No wonder people dont trust politicians
Look at those lefty liberal protesters….
Fair aul chunk taken out of yer mans forehead
I’d say it needed a stich niall
This country is rotten from top to bottom.
Bernard Ireland will continue to scrape along the bottom of the EU until people eventually realise that they themselves are the problem. Voting for one or other of the main crooked parties will ensure
nothing will change. Voting for Endapendents on the whole has shown to be a waste of time too.
Forget Liebour and you are left with Sinn Fein. The only reason they dont do as well as they should is that people equate it as somehow voting for the IRA Why? Because of Adams being party leader’s link with its terrorist past. It does not matter if he was in the organisation or not, the public perceive him to have the connection. If he steps down Sinn Fein voters will increase bigtime. Am not saying they would be much better but its worth a chance to break the corrupt hold FF&FG have on the country…… otherwise business as usual…..
The working middle class will never vote for Sinn Fein, it would be like turkeys voting for Xmas, SF want everyone to only have a basic wage of 40k after which you’re taxed to the hilt. So let’s say everyone eat of over 40k decided to reduced their wages and suddenly there’s a massive tax drop, who’s going to pay for all those Sinn Fein voters to keep their welfare, free water , free everything ???
Agree totally the stigma will stay as long as Adams is leader! The IRISH are fickle! A new leader of and the troubles will be forgotten
@Gus Sheridan: its not just Gerry, the party is riddled with ex/part time provos, some openly admitting it like Ferris in Kerry. SF have also proven that thie a just another bunch of croked gangsters and part of the Me Fein political party group (FF,FG,Lab,SF,SD,etc) THey all voted in favour of increasing their holidays (none of SF voted against) Unless someone new comes along its like playing a broken record. SF want to scrap water charges on one hand and bring in uisce charges on the other.
He claims that this is in keeping with the constitution. This must be the strangest constitution in the whole world.
Enda Kenny and his buddies must be looking at how this goes……..
Now all the lefties on here, here’s a genuine cause to rise up and protest
The gas thing is its a left wing party/government that has done this
@Shane Murphy: one day people will reaslise that left/right /centre is just a divide and conquer technique. At the end of the day the politions join the elite and the rest of us get screwed.
Can the EU just throw them out not suitable members.
Its times like this that i think being governed by robots wouldnt be a bad idea.
I see a meltdown coming ,trump already started it
They haven’t gone away, you know.
Seems like the Romanians are taking a leaf out of the Irish book. Booting out then voting in again a waste of space government party.
Fcuk sake… Ive heard it all now..
They’re keeping within EU policies
Back to the old days. Jesus the whole world is heading back to the Seventies.
Careful now.
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