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Liviu Dragnea says recent protest was attempted coup d'etat
National leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea, Romania's ruling party, has called a recent anti-corruption protest that left 450 people injured an attempted coup d'etat.
Speaking for the first time since the Aug. 10 protest, Liviu Dragnea told Antena 3 channel late Tuesday: "I saw an attempted coup to overthrow the government."
Riot police used tear gas and water cannons to repel what Dragnea called a "paramilitary organization," among tens of thousands of protesters.
"I saw a coup d'etat attempt that failed, that's what I saw, and that's what it was attempted. That was what they would be talking on the social media (...) That was they were talking about; a lot of the words of some would reach me that this would no longer be about justice legislation, as that was a thing of the past: there will be an uprising for us to topple the government and take over the power. And it became visible; that is what Iohannis did with that message, that post on Facebook, irresponsible on the part of a head of state to discourage gendarmes who had acted in accordance with their law, their regulations, much weaker than the gendarmes and law enforcement officers in other EU countries or the US act, and you continue to incite violence, precisely in the moments when that gendarme girl had was as good as lynched there by some brutes; were all those who were punching and kicking that girl humans? Were the protesters peaceful? Was that an instance of unjustifiably strong intervention by the gendarmerie? Everything that Orban, Gorghiu and others from PNL [National Liberal Party] and USR [Save Romania Union] started to shout after fact - let the gendarmes be investigated! - nobody said a thing about the fact that they had set fire. It was seen on television (...) What was there was a well-organised paramilitary organisation. That is what I saw, and I'm convinced that is what it was: a coup d'etat attempt to topple the government through violence, to bring to fruition the desire of [president] Iohannis," Dragnea told Antena 3 private broadcaster on Tuesday evening.
He said that he spoke on the phone on the night of August 10 with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and with national leader of PSD's junior coalition partner Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, but not with the interior minister.
"Yes I did, and surely we talked about what was happening, she was watching on her tablet, I understood she was watching Antena 3. We did not speak with the interior minister, because the minister had some very clear powers in this type of events and I could not interfere. She did not call me, and neither did I call her," Dragnea said.
He claimed that the August 10 protest was attended by only 1,000 Romanian expats.
"The diaspora rally was a lie. There were 1,000 plus people from the diaspora. I do not know, the one who filed for authoristaion claiming to be the organiser immediately gave up for fear when he realised what was really happening and what was going to happen there," added Dragnea.
The Social Democratic Party leader also accused multinational companies of financing anti-graft protests that erupted in 2017 over fears the Social Democrats were backtracking on anti-graft efforts.
Asked by Antena 3 private broadcaster about what multinationals operating in Romania to demonise him, Dragnea replied: "They give money. (...) They finance 'Rezist,' finances these movements, urging their employees to join the protests, or they give them a day off on protest day, or they suggest them they would better join the protests. Now this movement is weaker, but it used to be quite strong. It has somehow calmed down. "
At the same time, Dragnea claimed that some companies have economic interests that "hit the interests of the Romanian state". "Companies (...) have economic interests (...) When these economic interests collide with the interests of the Romanian state, we cannot but step in. (...) I want the Romanians to be the main beneficiaries, the ultimate beneficiaries of the riches that this country, and I will not stop this battle for as long as I hold my office, as long as I will be alive and free (...) Is that nationalism? No. Romanianism, maybe. I think it is a fundamental question. Everyone who has a position in the Romanian state should think that way and that is bothersome, because we are talking about interests of billions of euros, "Dragnea said.
He added that investigations into certain companies have begun. "I cannot give the names of the companies, but I know that investigations have begun. (...) It seems that the institutions of the Romanian state have begun to be somehow bolder (...) There are still some functionaries in the Romanian government that stymies for various reasons: they are under cover, have vested interests, or are fearful. That's why things are not going very, very quickly," Dragnea said.
Dragnea also claimed he'd been the target of a foiled assassination attempt last year. Dragnea has been disqualified for the office of prime minister due to a 2016 vote-rigging conviction.
Asked by Antena 3 private television broadcaster if there are people who would want to see him killed, if he ever received death threats or holds information of such plans to have him assassinated, Dragnea stated: "I was subject to an assassination attempt last year, in April. (...) Four foreigners came to Romania, they were accommodated at the Athenee Palace, or so I'm told, and they stayed here for three weeks. Well, I avoided the danger, which doesn't mean though that I hired security guards or I am planning to do so."
Asked if the respective people came to be near him at some point, Dragnea said 'yes.'
Also asked what was the plan in this case, considering that Romania is not "a mafia state," Dragnea said: "But it is. (...) We are living in a partly mafia state. The parallel state is a mafia."
He also went on to specify that the four foreigners were paid "by a very famous person in our world."
Asked if he was thinking of Soros, Dragnea said: "No, I don't think of him, but he does think of me. I am not the one to think about him. (...) But I don't know if this was what it was."