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18. 01. 12. - 11:00

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18. 01. 12. - 11:00

Street protests continue in Romania

Romanian Times

About 9,700 people took to the streets of 60 Romanian cities yesterday (Tues) for the fifth day in a row, calling for the resignation of President Traian Basescu and the government.

The Bucharest demonstrators protested peacefully till midnight on Tuesday, Agerpres reports.

Young and older people yelled anti-government and anti-presidential slogans, bearing boards and flags reading 'Take over the square, take over Romania', 'It began on Facebook, it must end on the streets. Students come out of your houses', 'Romania wants its children home', 'Respect and dignity', 'Early elections, not simultaneous elections'.

For the fifth day, also political figures attended the protests, such as Liberal Ludovic Orban present in the Bucharest University Square or Social Democrat Radu Mazare in Constanta (south-eastern Romania).

Ludovic Orban had to leave the manifestation, as the protesters started booing him. They told him he had no reason whatsoever to be there, reproaching him for doing nothing during his mandate as minister.

Constanta Mayor Radu Mazare joined the people protesting in front of the Prefect's Office, calling on the gendarmerie to stop generating violence for no reason against protesters.

For the first time since the start of the unrest, almost 200 people, among whom were also unionists, representatives of opposition political parties, FC Delta club football fans, ordinary citizens and children, took to the streets of Tulcea (eastern Romania).

The leaders read a proclamation featuring 13 points in front of the nearly 300 people gathered in downtown Targu Mures, asking for the resignation of the incumbent government and Romanian President, but also of the senators and deputies joining the other side, namely the ruling coalition.

Protests were also staged in several other Romanian cities and counties, Zalau, Pitesti, Sibiu, Ploiesti, Campina, Suceava, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, attended by 9,700 people, according to spokesperson of the Romanian Gendarmerie Florin Hulea.

New demonstrations will be held today (Weds) in some cities where they have already been authorised by the city halls.

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