How Cute Dogs Became A Symbol Of Protest

It all started with a privately-owned Romanian TV news outlet spreading fake stories about anti-government protests that started in January 2017, saying that activists received money for taking to the streets. The news report said people got cash for bringing along a kid or a dog. Jokes and memes soon flooded the internet.

This short video from the BBC shows the creative side of the protests, namely how people used humor to turn politicians’ babbles and television’s ridiculous statements into slogans. It also shows the importance the online environment had in the demonstrations. For example, the most Facebook live videos made worldwide were from Romania during the first night on the streets, according to the social network’s live map. Facebook groups were also created, offering accommodation, clothes and other necessities for people who came from other cities to Bucharest to protest.

At the beginning of February 2017, politicians in the ruling Social Democratic Party passed an emergency decree that profoundly changed the penal code and decriminalised various corruption offences. The decree has since been cancelled, but people still protest because they don’t trust the government and want the politicians who were responsible for the decree to be replaced.