RSS
Bucharest Protest ended with 20 persons detained and 5 injured
The protest in Victoria Square in the Capital, in front of the Government headquarters, ended after midnight on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, after several protesters, an isolated group, threw objects and crackers at gendarmes, who intervened and dispersed them.
The demonstration against the recent Government decisions concerning the modifications of the Criminal Codes started on Wednesday morning in Victoria Square, and at noon the protesters numbered over one thousand persons. Until evening, their number increased to over 150,000.
The people chanted "We don't recognise laws given by mobsters. Resignation!," "I refuse this abuse!," "We don't back off!," "PSD [Social Democratic Party], the red plague," "Repeal, then leave! Otherwise you take a risk!," "Day by day, we'll be here!."
Significant Gendarmerie forces were in the protest area and installed protection fences in front of the Government building, ensuring a buffer area from the protesters.
After 22:00, from a small group, people started to throw at gendarmes crackers, smoke, bottles and rocks. Such incidents lasted more than an hour. The gendarmes used tear gas.
Most of the people in the square chanted "No violence!."
Some of the protesters, grouped in the Victoria Road area, keep throwing crackers and objects at the Gendarmerie teams, while most of the people are making an appeal to calm.
The protest was divided between those chanting "No violence!," and those chanting "The Gendarmerie defends theft!."
Meanwhile, the protesters dispersed.
The Capital Gendarmerie subsequently told Agerpres that 20 persons were detained and taken to police stations for hearings. Law enforcement bodies confiscated from them bottle bombs, crackers and torches prepared to be used against gendarmes.
"Several bottle bombs, crackers, torches were found, some in the possession of some persons, others prepared in Victoria Square to be used against gendarmes. I cannot confirm the information that the violent persons would be part of a gallery or other environments. If this thing is revealed in the investigations, we shall see," Capital Gendarmerie Spokesman Georgian Enache said.
Five persons injured in the incidents in Victoria Square were taken to hospital on Wednesday night, Interior Ministry (MAI) Secretary of State Raed Arafat said. According to him, these are two gendarmes and three civilians.