U.S. reacts to Romanian protests

Protests in Romania have started one week ago and may well continue as the Government said that people have the right to protest peacefully. However, last night around 50 people have been detained by police forces and several outbursts of rage from violent protesters disturbed the peaceful protests in Universitatea Square.  

Victoria Nunland, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said last night that protests in Romania are caused by austerity measures that the Government had to take in response to the financial crisis.

“What we would say to Romania and Romanians is the same thing that we say to others around the world and what we said to Greece and Greeks at the time, which is that we support the right of people around the world to protest and express their views peacefully, but we call on both protestors and authorities to refrain from any violence,” said Nunland.

“Well, we’re obviously not going to dictate how Romania deals with its internal issues. These are decisions for the Government of Romania to take in consultations with the parliament and with their people,” added Nunland.

Yesterday, the opposition party alliance USL organized a protest against the ruling political coalition, calling for president Traian Basescu to step down and the Government to resign. Police forces say that around 1,500 protested in the Universitatea Square last night, although media reports say this number climbed to 6,000.

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Protest movements continued in all major cities of Romania despite freezing cold temperatures. People are calling for early elections and demand improved living standards.     

Ovidiu Posirca