Hundreds Injured In Romania During Anti-Government Protest

Yesterday more than 100,000 Romanians protested yet again against the corrupt government, against the legislative changes they have in store to weaken the rule of law, against the poverty that almost half of the population is living in, the lack of infrastructure and opportunities, and the list could go on. This time, Romanians living and working abroad joined the demonstration to show their disapproval of the politicians who forced them to leave their homes and families and go start a new life somewhere else.

And this time, unlike the other protests that took place in the country after the Social Democrat Party (PSD) won the elections in December 2016, the clashes between some protesters and the riot police reached a new level of violence. The fully-equipped gendarmes fired tear gas at the crowd since the early hours of the demonstration, regardless of the fact that there were children, old people and people in wheelchairs present. And, most of all, regardless of the fact that the majority of demonstrators were peaceful.

The riot police's reaction to the few groups of angry people — who could have easily been isolated and removed from the crowd — was disproportionate. More than 400 people were injured, including some gendarmes — two of whom were abandoned by their colleagues during a march through the middle of the now angry mob and left to be lynched (the two were eventually saved by protesters, who made a human shield around them).

Nonetheless, no government officials apologized or resigned today, Instead, they blamed the protesters, president Klaus Iohannis, the ultras; some even resorted to threats, or advised that machine guns should have been used on the population, not water canons.

Romanians are out on the streets again tonight, gathering in the thousands in the capital Bucharest and other cities around the country. So far, things are calm.