Thousands rally in Bucharest for detained Călin Georgescu
Thousands rallied in Bucharest on Saturday, November 14, at an unauthorised demonstration, demanding the release of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, who remains in pre-trial detention.
Supporters gather outside Parliament
Thousands of people gathered outside Romania's Parliament, with some travelling hundreds of kilometres by coach to attend the rally. Protesters stood for hours in cold and rainy weather, calling for Georgescu's release.
The demonstration was promoted by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), although party leader George Simion said the party had not organised the event. Bucharest City Hall had not authorised the protest.
“Look how many of us there are. We are many, we are united and we are strong. National unity! We are here because a man from among the Romanian people has united us. And that man is the man who should have been Romania's president,” said George Simion, the AUR leader.
Protesters move to detention centre
After the rally outside Parliament, some demonstrators headed to the Bucharest Police Central Detention Centre, where Georgescu is being held. They continued to demand his release.
“We came here for Călin Georgescu. They should release him so he can be our country's president. We are suffering a lot for him,” said a protester from Brăila.
Other participants said they had travelled from abroad to join the demonstration. One woman who had spent 25 years in Michigan, in the United States, said she had returned to Romania specifically to take part in the protest.
Another demonstrator accused the authorities of undermining democracy and said the country's laws and justice system were no longer being respected. These were the protesters' stated views.
Authorities warn against violence
Before the demonstration, Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs called for calm after messages circulating online urged people to resort to violence and confront law enforcement officers.
Authorities said they had identified several fake or recently created accounts used to spread such messages.
Two people were detained by gendarmes during the protest.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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