25,000 protesters marched in downtown Bucharest on Tuesday night, according to estimates by the Romanian Gendarmerie. The march started in University Square, continued in Victory Square, the Interior Ministry, the Constitution Square and Bucharest’s District 4 City Hall. The protest was organized on social networks, in the wake of Friday night’s tragedy at Colectiv Club.
Chanting slogans like Resignation, resignation, Solidarity and toting signs reading Corruption kills or We are the generation that changes history, the protesters called for the resignations of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea and Cristian Popescu-Piedone, the mayor of Bucharest’s fourth district, where Colectiv Club is located.
The day was also marked by protests against the government and the political class in general, floral tributes, prayers and religious masses in several big cities across Romania: Braila, Ramnicu Valcea, Sibiu, Miercurea Ciuc, Cluj Napoca, Alba-Iulia, Brasov.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis posted a message on his Facebook page writing that it is a street movement, emerging from people’s wish to see their human condition and dignity respected. I understood that they rightfully call for and expect that someone assumes political responsibility. The next step should be taken by politicians, who can’t ignore such a feeling of revolt. In
turn, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies,
Valeriu Zgonea, wrote on Facebook: I understand the people who took to
the streets tonight. I understand their fury. I think it is high time the whole
political class understood that half-measures are no longer acceptable. (…) The
memory of the young people who died in Colectiv club doesn’t need monuments,
but justice!
On Friday night, the club Colectiv was devastated by a deadly fire, which killed at least 32 people and injured 140 others. According to prosecutors, the blaze was caused by a pyrotechnical show during a rock concert in the aforementioned overcrowded club. Doctors believe the death toll could go up as many of the participants have inhaled a toxic smoke. The club’s three owners have been accused of manslaughter and placed under pre-trial arrest. The government has endorsed a decision under which the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations can close down clubs, which aren’t observing fire prevention measures.
Pope Francis has conveyed a message to Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis expressing his profound regret for the tragedy in Bucharest on Friday night. The Pontiff has assured the victims’ families, the authorities and the entire Romanian nation of his spiritual support. Many high-ranking officials and foreign ambassadors have paid homage to the fire victims in recent days. Books of condolence have been opened at Romania’s foreign embassies abroad.
The heart of Queen Maria of Romania was placed on Tuesday in the Golden Chamber of the Pelisor Castle in the mountain resort of Sinaia. The royal family, representatives of the government, the church and the army participated in the ceremony held at the castle which was built upon her plans, and where her heart beat for the last time, back in 1938. Born in 1875, Maria Alexandra Victoria of Saxa Coburg-Gotha was a princess of Great Britain and Ireland, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Britain. She became Romania’s second queen as wife of king Ferdinand. During their reign, at the end of WWI, the Romanian nation state was founded after the provinces with a majority Romanian-speaking population of Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania had joined the Kingdom of Romania. The queen’s presence on the frontline, where she acted as a nurse in military hospitals, as well as her commitment to the Great Union turned her into the most beloved female personality in the history of the Romanians.
On Wednesday Romania’s capital Bucharest will be playing host to a high level summit of the Central and East European countries. The summit, co-presided by the Romanian and Polish heads of state, Klaus Iohannis and Andrzej Duda, respectively, will be attended by their counterparts from Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary. They will also be joined by the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic and NATO Deputy Secretary General, Alexander Vershbow. Present in our country as of Tuesday, president Duda has said that Romania is Poland’s strategic partner in the region and that NATO presence in this part of Europe must be increased.
A traditional folk dance from Transylvania, the so-called Lads’ Dance, has been included in the UNESCO’s immaterial world heritage list. This specific dance, which has kept its continuity in the Romanian folklore, is a harmonious blend of rhythm and movement. Talks about the inclusion of the Lads’ Dance on the UNESCO heritage list commenced two years ago, upon the initiative of Romanian researcher Zamfir Dejeu, member in the National Committee for Salvaging the National Immaterial Cultural Heritage.
The Democratic Party in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a Romanian-speaking majority on Tuesday expressed its readiness to forge a coalition including with the pro-Russia communists if this leads to political stability. Democratic Party leaders have announced they are no longer willing to wait until the Liberal-Democrats of former Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet make a decision to join the talks for a new ruling coalition. The Strelet cabinet, made up of Liberal-Democrats, Democrats and Liberals was dismissed last week following a no-confidence vote tabled by the Socialists and the Communists and backed by the Democrats. President Nicolae Timofti has designated the Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Brega for the position of interim Prime Minister.
