The Week in Review 20-26.08.2018

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Corina Cristea, 25.08.2018, 13:24

The effects of the anti-Government protest meeting in Bucharest

It’s been two weeks since the anti-Government protest of August 10th, and yet no light has been shed on the violent events that occurred on that day. Hundreds of complaints have been filed by people who suffered from the gendarmes’ intervention and activities aimed at identifying those who committed acts of violence continue. On Thursday, the head of the Gendarmes’ Special Intervention Brigade, colonel Catalin Paraschiv, was heard at the Prosecutor General’s Office. Paraschiv is the one who coordinated the forceful intervention of the gendarme forces during the protest. Previously, the Interior Minister Carmen Dan held a press conference, which she started by apologizing to those who suffered during the protest, both civilians and gendarmes.

The minister continued by presenting the film of the events and a summary of what she called the ‘fake news and lies’ that circulated in the press and on-line. On Tuesday, Carmen Dan was heard in Parliament, and stated that she did not have operative responsibilities as minister during the protest. She also said that the report she had received from the competent structures subordinated to her would be submitted to the specialized parliament committee as soon as the due procedure was finalized. The right-wing opposition, according to which the minister should resign, has voiced discontent over the fact that the document is kept secret and that the prefect did not attend the hearing in parliament, so there was nobody to clarify the reasons for which that level of intervention was decided. According to the opposition, Carmen Dan is trying to cover up the fact that the gendarme forces are responsible for tear-gassing and brutalizing peaceful protesters. In response, the ruling Social Democratic Party has stated that the whole thing was an attempt to brutally topple a legitimate government.

Reactions after the meeting of the Romanian Diaspora

In her first reaction after the events on August 10th, two weeks after, the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has accused the opposition of trying to take over power by using non-democratic means, after failing in the elections. She has stated that what she saw was an attack against state institutions, with the Gendarmerie as the first target, and has called on ministers and heads of state institutions to avoid what she called ‘this spiral of conflict’. Ludovic Orban, the head of the main opposition party in Romania, the National Liberal Party, has blamed the prime-minister for not taking responsibility for the gendarmes’ actions and their effects on the protesters. “There is no spiral of conflict supported by the opposition, by the National Liberal Party or by president Klaus Iohannis; it’s just lies and abuses, promoted by the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea, prime-minister Viorica Dancila, interior minister Carmen Dan and all those who endorsed the reprisal of the protest and the hurting of people who participated in the anti-government protest” said Ludovic Orban in a press release.

The August 10 events should be an opportunity for the decision-makers in Romania to reflect and to identify the right means to help the specialized structures evolve, from organization and staff training to means of control, says Bertrand Cavallier, an expert in public order and one who knows very well the Romanian system. A former member of the French National Gendarmerie, he has met with members of the Committee for defense, public order and national security of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, in charge of clarifying the events on August 10th.

African swine fever gains ground

One quarter of Romania’s counties are affected by African swine fever, with more than 700 outbreaks identified in particular in the south-east and north-west of the country, mostly in villagers’ households. So far, 120,000 pigs have been culled. The National Federation Pro Agro has called on the Government to call a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense, to discuss the situation created by the spread of the swine fever virus, which has seriously affected meat production in Romania. The federation believes that a state of emergency should be declared in the affected counties, because the companies that have invested in the sector are on the brink of bankruptcy. Authorities carry on actions aimed at preventing the spread of the disease, among which the decision to allow the hunting of infected wild boars and jackals in the Danube Delta.

Poor results scored by Romanian football teams

Romania’s champions CFR Cluj and vice-champions FCSB lost the matches they played on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs. CFR is the author of a counter-performance in Romanian football, as the only Romanian team ever defeated by a squad from Luxembourg, Dudelange. FCSB lost 3-1 the game against Rapid Vienna. The return games will be held on August 30th. If none of the two manages to qualify, Romania will have no representatives left in the competition.