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Bogdan Cristel / Reuters
A demonstrator holds a bone with the word "Resignation" on it during a protest against the government in central Bucharest on Jan. 18, 2012. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Traian Basescu.
Protests continued for a sixth day across Romania, as hundreds gathered in the capital city Bucharest and in about 40 other cities, calling for President Traian Basescu’s resignation and denouncing the government’s austerity measures and systemic corruption.
As night fell Tuesday, about 200 anti-government protesters gathered in downtown Bucharest, yelling slogans such as "Resignation!" and "Down with Basescu!" Officials reported the number rose to about 1,000 protesters by the end of the day.
Protesters have raged for several days over austerity cuts, falling living standards and widespread corruption. Gathered in freezing temperatures, they chanted "Freedom!,” holding banners reading "Hunger and poverty have gripped Romania!"
Some protesters waved Romanian flags with the center cut out, reminiscent of the 1989 anti-communist protests.
Live video from the protests in Bucharest's University Square.
Romania is one of the newest and poorest European Union members, but the country is not part of the Eurozone. Romania's economy shrunk more than 7 percent in 2009, and the country needed an International Monetary Fund bail-out to pay its public sector wages. To qualify for another installment of the IMF loan, Romania agreed to implement new austerity measures, including a 25 percent cut in public wages.
The cuts were characterized as “brutal and unthinkable in a West European country” by Andreas Treichl, the president of Austria's Erste Group, the largest foreign investor in the Romanian banking sector.
Officials said about 13,000 protesters hit the streets across the country since Friday. Police said they fined 247 people Monday, and 36 were charged with illegally carrying knives, vandalism or disturbing public order during Monday's protests in Bucharest and other Romanian cities.
The French publication Le Monde noted that, while the number of protesters is relatively modest, their actions represent a “shock” in a country where civil society seemed struck with apathy.
“It was an outburst,” Romanian freelance journalist Vlad Ursulean told msnbc.com. “The cynicism disappeared.”
Ursulean covered the protests in Bucharest on Sunday, watching closely as riot police clashed with protesters. Riot police used tear gas and batons against the demonstrators, some of whom hurled rocks at the police. At least 59 people were injured in the clashes, officials said.
While authorities said violence only erupted when soccer hooligans infiltrated the protests, Ursulean said the crowd of protesters was diverse and the soccer fans made up a small part of it. One of the protesters told the riot police he wouldn’t be in the street if he could afford to feed his daughter, Ursulean reported.
Prime Minister Emil Boc said on Monday the violence was “unacceptable.”
“Each citizen who protests and is unhappy concerns me,” he added on Tuesday.
Protests were sparked last week, when Raed Arafat – a high-ranking health ministry official – resigned in opposition to government plans to privatize the country’s medical emergency system. But the anti-regime sentiment grew quickly among the protesters, and demonstrations spread.
The prime minister said Tuesday that Arafat, a naturalized Palestinian, will return to his job, in what was seen as a step to defuse the public anger at the government. But protests continued in spite of this development, hinting at “a deep-seated expression of the population’s frustration,” political science professor Lavinia Stan told msnbc.com.
“The protests have taken a life of their own,” Stan said. If they continue and remain peaceful, they could pose a serious problem to President Basescu and the government, she said. Local and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place later this fall.
Opposition parties tried to capitalize on the protests, demanding early elections, but protests remain apolitical for now. A protest march led by the opposition is now scheduled for Thursday.
“Everything seems a lot like the Occupy movement in its early stages,” Chris Williamson, a Peace Corps volunteer who’s been living in Romania for almost two years, told msnbc.com.
“There are a lot of people who are angry about different problems, but there isn't a set goal or plan for anything.”
An IMF mission coming to Romania to review the country’s loan deal is still on schedule for Jan.25.
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Here we go again.
The World is revolving into a World Wide Revolution in 2012.
The truth shall set you free and the lies will keep you on a ball and chain.
POWER to the PEOPLE
Why exactly should we care about a third world country anyway? Vote Romney in November!
The conservatives have trashed America into a third world country. Vote for Mitt Romney and pay his taxes for him. Time to change course in America and vote progressive in 2012.
Did you seriously just post on the freaking INTERNET that America is a third world country? Was that a third world computer you used in your third world housing?
This is not exactly a nation of mud huts and eating tree bark. Most people who claim this is a third world nation have never been to one. I've been to Ethiopia, I've seen third world and the USA is so far from that it's like comparing a snails and racecars.
The Neopoor are disgusting, they pull out their iPhone 4 to tweet how broke they are to fellow protestors, then they go to Wal*Mart to buy a $150 camping set to go screw off in a park for a week whining about how wealthy everybody else is.
The Neopoor don't even realize how ridiculous they look when they set up webpages to network with other Neopoor about their Neopoverty and exchange Twitter, Facebook and Cell Phone numbers.
If the Neopoor are broke then they sure have a funny way of showing it. 20 years ago, their antics would have been called "conspicuous consumption."
Interesting how people are unhappy when the government is filling your hand.
Interesting how poorly government manages and regulates our lives.
For many people, though, the nightmare of the State is better than the freedom of Capitalism and all those scary risks involved.
How about repenting and putting your faith in Jesus Christ instead of man?
You know the world has turned its back on God. Look at Europe now being invaded by Islam. Now this country is flat out turning away from god and it seems to be a trend now to be an atheist. Now let the internet berating begin. These days are written.
How about having faith in yourself.
Jesus was a liberal Jewish girly-man who didn't like conservative elites. The Christian right cons see Jesus as the Lord overall, but Jesus had a different message.
Austerity is hardly a government handout.
Herald9,
Romania is too poor for it's government to fill the hands of Romanians.
Anyway, I always thought that Jesus was a man...
This article fails to give any examples of what exactly is being cut, but I think of Romanians as being of very strong stock. I seriously doubt they are protesting like the French did a couple of years back when they rioted because their 3 months of paid vacation was reduced to 2 months. If a Romanian says its austere, come on...
You'd be surprised! We get a lot more from our government than you lot! Less than the French, but so much more than you... For instance, they cut government wages by 25% (gave some back eventually), and maternity leave is paid in full only 1 year now, the second they give less... But I still get 1/2 my public transport and 1/3 of my heating bills paid for, and it's not means tested, I'm not poor.
Well, thanks for giving more info than the article did.
This article is full of lies. There are tense of thsausands of Romanian protesting but they are ignored by the west because Romania became a colony of the francogerman impire and the itrest of USA AS A PLACE TO HAVE THE FOOT AGAINST THE Russians. The Romanians were brought to the kneees by the banks, all manufacuring companies were closed so they wwould not comete with the west . More then 3 milions are working aut of the country. In the last 20 years Romania lost 4 milion people and the country is at a point of no return .It is spinning fast to chaos and very deep poverty. It became a police state but there in not enough people to feed the corupted polisce. Almost 500 senators paind by the west to impliment whatever they thik they should.
Felicitari Mircea...e coresct tot ce spui mai sus....
Last I checked "Jesus" was not running for office in either the U.S. or Europe. If he was I would vote for him and let's have the Prophet Mohammed" for V.P. That way we could get all the worldwide zealots to shut up and fall in line. Right? Or do you think that Jesus and Mohammed would have a problem with one another?
The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in the emergence of a corporate oligarch in all of the countries; the adoption of capitalism didn't mean freedom anymore than it means freedom here in America. It meant the emergence of a two class system of haves and havenots. These movements around the world are the start of the end of corporate capitalism and free-wheeling financial markets. There will be a restructuring of the economic system in the 21st Century that will be based on the right of people to own property (not just the elite rich), the right of people power in politics (not just corporate control of government), and resurgence of local production to meet local needs. The hoarding of cash by the privileged elite is strangling the economies of the world, and eventually strangling the greed of the the upper class. You can't be on top just by standing on the backs of the people; there will be a point at which we will just stand up for ourselves and walk away. Americans, Romainians, and the rest of the world - time for a global spring to clean away the soot of the corporate winter.
America may just really be blessed. America has had to opportunity to see it's future if it continues down it's path to Socialism. Romania is not a part of the EU but is suffering the very same way many countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland) in the EU is. The best example however may be the old USSR. After it's demise, not having money, all salaries, retirement plans, military pay were cut. The very same "cuts" will now be made of Romania and the Socialist leaning EU. America has been given a glimpse of its future if it does not change it's march towards Socialism.
As for the Nihilists of the world, I strongly suggest you look up Saul Alinsky. This guy heavily influenced Obama during his early years.
Unfortunately, Romania IS in the EU since 2007.
Yes, it is, Time4aPurge. It's not in the Schengen Area, though (which means Romanians need their passports when traveling to other EU countries).
Anyway, don't compare Romania to countries like the United States, or Germany, or France. Just look at GDP per capita:
USA - $47,200
Germany - $ 35,700
France - $33,100
Romania - $11,600 (source: CIA World Factbook)
The United States, Germany, France etc., don't face economic problems of the same order of magnitude as Romania. There is no comparison, not at all.
Actually, we don't need passports when traveling to other EU countries, we can use our national IDs. Not being in Schengen means someone actually stops you at the border for 20 seconds to see your ID.
As for GDP/capita, do take into account the cost of living, and add health and education costs to the US, which are virtually non existent in Germany, France and Romania.
Wait a moment, Vlad. Are you trying to say that Romanians enjoy the standard of living comparable to that of Americans ?
OK, I know you don't...
No, I'm not saying that, I'm just saying it's by no means 4 times lower!
I never said it was 4 times lower, but GDP per capita does tell a lot about standard of living.
If GLOBALIZATION is so good, why are these people protesting, poor and in such misery?
GLOBALIZATION 5ucks. Only the elitists make money at the expense of the "little" people......welcome to the EU.
This country is in a just plain mess. The government is very corrupt, the police are even more corrupt. Manufacturing has left and is now almost zero, the cost of food is almost the same as any other western country, wages are very low, so many have gone to other countries to work sending money home and most of the highly educated have left.
I was amazed not to see the writer not mention how much trouble george sorros has caused in this part of the world. He owns half of the government there. Why so little info about sorros and many other powerfull people in this part of the world trying to merge several other countries into one with a name translated to read in english as "holy roman empire". Why no one digging into how sorros and some others are trying to re-establish pre WWI boarders and "empires".