More than 450 people were injured when violence erupted at a mass antigovernment protest in Bucharest on August 10. Riot police fought back protesters, spraying impressive quantities of tear gas into the crowds and using water cannons to disperse the people gathered outside the government building in Victory Square.

Intended as a symbolic moment, with Romanians all around the world joining their fellows in the country in expressing their discontent with the way the country is governed, the rally will instead be remembered for the violent clashes between protesters and riot police. 

Over 100,000 people gathered in Victory Square in Bucharest during the day, according to estimates made by local media. While this was barely one-tenth of the 1mn aimed for by the organisers, it was the largest protest in Bucharest since February last year, when 300,000 people are said to have attended a rally in the capital, along with around the same number in other cities around the country. 

The protest was organised on Facebook by Romanians living abroad, but was joined by many living in the country. The large variety of flags waved in the square, such as those from the US, the UK, Italy and Canada, revealed the diverse range of countries some of the protesters are now living in. Corruption and poor governance are among the reasons why young Romanians have been leaving the country in large numbers. 

The protesters were mainly unhappy with the controversial justice legislation adopted by the parliament, widely criticised for weakening Romania’s fight against corruption. Since coming to power at the end of 2016, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) led government has been waging a constant war against the National Anticorruption Directorate’s (DNA’s) efforts and seeking to water down anti-corruption legislation. 

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea is seen one of the beneficiaries of the changed legislation, along with other top politicians. Dragnea has received a two-year suspended sentence for voter manipulation and was recently sentenced by a first court to three and a half years in prison for instigation to abuse of power. The efforts by politicians to change the law for their own benefit has appalled many Romanians, sparking a wave of protests that have endured — though in dwindling numbers — since the beginning of 2017. 

“It is hard to define what I feel, it’s a mix of frustration and helplessness. They keep doing what they have to do. The only reason I still live in Romania is my parents to whom my son is very attached. Otherwise, I would have left long ago,” a protester told bne IntelliNews.

Tensions between the protesters and the riot police rose during the day, when the police intervened with tear gas to disperse those trying to break the chain in front of the government headquarters. The crowd threw plastic water bottles and other objects back at them.

Tear gas was frequently used during the protest and it seemed to be launched randomly into the crowd, which was mainly peaceful, asking for the government’s resignation and chanting slogans against the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) such as “PSD, the red plague” and “F** PSD”. Hit by the irritating smell, the crowds were forced backwards, only to surge forward again moments later after the gas had dissipated.

Symbolic moments such as the illumination of the square with the help of mobile phones were interrupted by the noise made by the gas fired at the crowd. The crowds responded immediately, chanting “We are not leaving.”

Later in the evening there were more violent scenes. Riot police intensified their tear gas spraying and use of water cannons. Images broadcast by local television channels show peaceful people being hit by riot police. 

“They are trying to make us terribly mad by continuously spraying tear gas at us for no reason. We are peaceful, there are kids here and they don’t care. I am afraid this is just a mere step in their drive to defeat those who oppose them, first step to dictatorship,” another protester told bne IntelliNews.

The shocking incidents in Bucharest were condemned by the Romanian president who wrote on Facebook that “violence is not accepted, irrespective of political views.”

“An attempt to defeat the will of the people through a violent reaction of law enforcement is a reprehensible solution,” Iohannis wrote, adding that the interior minister has to urgently give an explanation of the way the events were managed.

While Romania has been the scene of continuous anti-governmental protests in the past one and a half years, apart a small violent incident in February last year they were all characterised by a peaceful atmosphere.

The numerous violent incidents between groups of protesters and the riot police raised speculation there were provocateurs among the crowd. Some protesters also accused the riot police of provoking the crowds.

Local television showed a fierce attack against two members of the gendarmerie, who had become separated from their group. The two gendarmes were eventually saved by a group of protesters who made a human shield around them and took them out of the crowd. During the fight, a gun belonging to one of the two was stolen, a spokesman for the gendarmerie said a news conference on August 11.

Representatives of the riot police said that as violent acts intensified, they intervened in force to dissipate some compact violent groups in the crowd. 33 people were taken to police stations and eight criminal cases were opened.

A new protest is scheduled for August 11.

 

Tens of thousands of protesters hold up their mobile phones to illuminate the square. 

The Victory Square protests have become known for the witty and creative banners carried by demonstrators. 

Flags carried by protesters showed the wide range of countries where the Romanian diaspora have made new lives for themselves.