Global Voices » Romania

Running 1,000 Miles for Europe's Trafficked Children

Veronica Khokhlova — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:01:59 +0000

This month, Rob Martineau, Tom Stancliffe, and Guy Hacking are running 1,000 miles from Odessa to Dubrovnik, via Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Croatia, as part of the Run For Love 1000 campaign, whose aim is to raise funds for Love146, a UK charity that “gives care and hope to trafficked children, and to raise awareness of the scale of human trafficking across Europe.” Follow their run on the RFL1000 website, on Facebook, and on Twitter; support the runners by donating here (215 donations have been made so far, with nearly £12,500 raised).

Hello Spring, Goodbye Evil Eye

Veroniki Krikoni — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:46:02 +0000

Martenitsas on a blossoming tree.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Μάρτης [el], мартеница [bg], мартинка [mk], mărțișor [ru]…however you call it, an ancient tradition [el] with multiple variations that takes place in the Balkans. So, weave your red-and-white threads for protection against the “evil eye” or to welcome Spring!

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E-Journal on Balkan History and Archaeology

Vasilka Dimitrovska — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:44:02 +0000

Haemus journal Vol.1 (2012)
http://haemus.mk

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Japan's Conservation Groups Fight to Preserve Wetlands

Ayumi Nakajima — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:09:47 +0000

Damp and marshy, they seem boring and barren. But contrary to their appearance, tidal flats or coastal wetlands are rich in biodiversity and help maintain balance in the water cycle. For Japan, which hosts 46 of the 2,098 registered wetlands worldwide [pdf], their conservation is essential.

Concern for Japanese precious wetlands is international, with Japan belonging to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance treaty, better known as “the Ramsar Convention“, which promotes conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

But community organizations in Japan down on the ground and deep in the mud are the ones who have led the fight in recent years to protect these valuable ecosystems from the encroaching threat of land development and pollution.

A changing landscape

Wajiro Tidal Flat, image from wikimedia commons, photo taken on 2009 (CC BY SA 3.0)

The Save Wajiro Tidal Flat Association [ja], based in Fukuoka city, has fought an uphill battle for more than two decades to preserve the resources of their hometown, the site of the Wajiro Tidal Flat.

The Wajiro Tidal Flat, located in the closed-off section of Hakata Bay, is the largest tidal flat in the Sea of Japan. The flat is also an important stopover and wintering ground for migratory birds.

The landscape of the once tranquil tidal flat in Hakata Bay began to rapidly change around 1994 with the construction of an artificial island. Although Japan's bubble economy was bursting at that time, public officials made development a priority despite doubts over the environmental assessment of the project.

The resulting change in tidal stream has deteriorated the water cycle, with a part of the flat corrupted by algae.

The tidal flat was selected by Japan's Ministry of Environment as a candidate for designation as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2004, but designation was never made official.

‘Wajiro Tidal Flat at Sunset’ KIRIE-Cutting Paper Art by Hiroko Kusuda. Used with permission.

Hiroko Kusuda, a paper cut-out artist who launched The Save Wajiro Tidal Flat Association in 1988, detailed the practical as well as the poetic significance [ja] of the tidal flat in an article in Radix, the newsletter of Kyushu University:

波静かな和白干潟は，子供たちを水で遊ばせ，人々を恵みの海産物でうるおします。四季を通じて魚貝類，エビやタコ，のり等の食物で人々の命を救い，干潟や浅海域の生物たちの営みで海水を浄化してきました。稚魚や稚貝を育て，和白干潟は生き物だちの命のゆりかごだったのです。
私の命一心も体もこの和白干潟を通して育まれました。自然の美しさや雄大さ，そして厳しさは，感性を豊かにします。和白干潟の自然とのかかわりは，私を創作活動へと導いていきました。大人になった今も，和白干潟は心の安らぎを与えてくれます。

The gentle waves of Wajiro tidal flat let children play in the water, bestow the people with a wealth of wild seafood, fish and shellfish, octopus and shrimp, and seaweed throughout the year. The tidal flat has been here to purify the water by taking care of the creatures of the tidal flat and shallow water and nursing young fish and young shelled sea creatures. The Wajiro Tidal Flat has always been the cradle of life. It has nurtured my mind and body. Beauty, grandeur and rigor of nature provide us an emotional richness. My relationship with the Wajiro Tidal Flat led me to creative activities. Now as an adult, the tidal flat still gives me peace of mind.

‘Spring in Wajiro Tidal Flat’ KIRIE-Cutting Paper Art by Hirorko Kusuda used with permission

Continuing with its efforts, the Save Wajiro Tidal Flat Organization conducts water and sand quality studies every month and organizes popular seashore cleanup events for local residents. Local elementary school students are invited regularly to observe the tidal flat to supplement their lessons.

E.I., who helped oversee the elementary school students, wrote [ja] on the Save Wajiro Tidal Flat Association's blog about how the organization piqued the children's curiosities about the wetland:

今日観察した鳥や、植物、貝殻、海藻の紹介の後、子どもたちから拾った鳥の羽の種類の質問や、アシ原になぜカニの巣穴があるの？などの質問が出されました。拾ったピンクや黄色の小さな貝殻は名前がわからないものもあり、守る会の宿題になりましたが、後で調べたら｢ユウシオガイ｣というそうです。和白小学校4年生の子どもたちの和白干潟での観察会はこれで終わりですが、2月末には学校で1年間の観察会の発表会があります。私たち守る会も毎年学校に出かけ、発表を楽しみにしています。

After our staff explained about birds, shells and seaweeds that children observed by themselves today, the students asked questions such as the type of bird feathers they found or why crab burrow is in reed bed. Some small yellow and pink shells found by the students couldn't be identified. It became our homework to figure out what they are. On examination, we found out they are Moerella rutila. Today was the last session of Wajiro tidal flat observation for the fourth grade children. But at the end of February there's an annual presentation of the year’s observation by children in school. It is our pleasure to visit school for that every year. We, members of The Save Wajiro Tidal Flat Association, are looking forward to seeing their presentation.

The ebb and flow of conservation work

In 2011, the Ramsar Convention celebrated its 40th anniversary. Reflecting on the years gone by, Japan Wetlands Action Network advisor Satoshi Kobayashi mused [ja] on JAWAN REPORT about how Japan's long-held belief that it could master nature might finally begin to change. The Japan Wetlands Action Network has fought to conserve wetlands on a national and international scale since 1991:

これまで比較的長い間、日本人は高度な技術を制御し、自然を制御しようとしてきた。そしてそれらは制御できるものと思い込んできた。しかしながら、2011年、その思い込みは逆襲される。技術は時に制御できずに悲劇を生むことがあり、自然もまた制御できない側面を持っていることを思い知らされた。
ここで日本人が踏みとどまり、エネルギー政策、国土計画、公共事業の在り方を軌道修正していくことが出来れば、そして世界にモデルを示すことが出来れば、日本人は行動によって世界を変えていくことが出来るのではないか。

For a relatively long time until now, the Japanese have been trying to control nature by using advanced technologies. We have been clinging to the idea that we could do that. But, in 2011, that assumption was smashed. We realized that technology could go out of control and incidentally, could produce a tragedy. Also we realized that nature, too, could go beyond anyone can handle.
If we pause and think, if we shift to make bold initiatives of change for energy policy, national planning and public works, if we demonstrate a role model by doing so, we could change the world by taking such action.

A year later, the organization attended the Ramsar Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP11) in Bucharest, Romania. After participating in the conference, Mr. Kobayashi explained [ja] that now is not the time for conservationists to pat themselves on the back. Progress in tidal flat preservation is a matter of perspective:

会議の運用規則等事務的な手続きが進む中、午前中の最後には条約の科学技術検討委員会（STRP)の議長ヘザー女史からの報告がありました。前回COP10に末娘8歳を連れて参加していたということで、最初にCOP10会議場の前で撮影された娘さんの写真を出しました。おかあさんはどんな業務に関わっているのか知ってもらおうと、会議の最後の方で数時間だけ、末娘に会場後ろの方で聴いていてもらったんだそうです。そして、韓国からの帰りの飛行機で会議はどうだったと尋ねると、「湿地保全の大事さは何となくわかったんだけど、私が大人になったらほとんど湿地が残されていないんじゃないかと心配になっちゃった」と娘さんが言ったんだそうです。「なんだか湿地の保全というのは、あまりにもゆっくりとしか進まさそうな調子だったし…」と続けられて、COP10が実り多い会議だったと思っていたヘザーさんは、言い返すことができなかったんだそうだ。子供恐るべしですね。

While clerical procedures such as operating rules of the meeting progressed, Ms. Heather the Chairman of Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) told us a story at the end of the morning session. She showed us her daughter's photo taken in front of convention hall of COP10. She took her youngest daughter at the age of 8 to the conference to let her know what her mother's doing for work. She asked her daughter to listen in the conference sitting at the back of a room only for a while near the end of the meeting. Then, in the flight back from Korea Ms. Heather asked her daughter what she thought about the conference. The daughter said “I think I got the importance of wetlands conservation but I have worried now that wetlands might not still be here by the time I am an adult.” she continued “Because it seems the conservation of wetlands barely makes any progress…” Ms. Heather said she had not been able to find anything to say back since she had thought the meeting was fruitful.

Children are sharp, aren’t they?

The Japan Wetlands Action Network promotes a nationwide campaign, Wetlands, Tidal Flats Campaign Day [ja], every spring, organizing a variety of events, such as nature observation, discussions, and art exhibitions to help raise public awareness about the conservation of wetland biodiversity. Registration for participating groups is now open [ja].

The Romanian-Hungarian “War of the Flags”

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:42:48 +0000

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the ongoing diplomatic confrontation between Romania and Hungary, sparked by the Romanian authorities’ ban on flying the flag of the Székely Land, an ethnic Hungarian enclave currently demanding territorial autonomy within Romania.

Europe's Frozen Conflicts

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:25:47 +0000

Black Sea News publishes Natalya Belitser's paper [en] – “Transnistrian Conflict: State of Affairs and Prospects of Settlement” – written for the international conference on “frozen conflicts” in Europe, which was held in September 2012 in Bled, Slovenia (via Andrei Klimenko).

Romania's General Election Results “As Expected”

Veronica Khokhlova — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:02:29 +0000

The Economist's Eastern Approaches and Bucharest Life comment on the results of the Dec. 9 parliamentary elections in Romania.

“Romania’s Non-Election”

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:37:11 +0000

Romania's general election is scheduled to take place on Dec. 9. Bucharest Life notes that “this has been the most lacklustre Romanian election campaign since 1990″ and that “it’s not the outcome of the election that we need to pay attention to, it’s the outcome of the outcome”:

[...] Given how boring the campaign itself has been, the week or two after the election could be fun.

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Albania: Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:35:44 +0000

A poster for the Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012.

The Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012 opens in Tirana today. This is the third time that the festival is being held; this year's theme is “TALK TO ME – multilingualism and communication”; the program of the three-day event is here.

Romania: “Church and State”

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:13:23 +0000

At OpenDemocracy.net, Luke Dale-Harris writes about the Romanian Orthodox Church's “threatening influence on democracy in the country.”

Europe: Will ACTA Treaty Pass After Protests?

Danielle Martineau — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:09:08 +0000

[All links forward to French articles unless stated otherwise.]

As of the end of the month of February 2012, the mobilization efforts of Internet users against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) [en] were still going strong. In fact, they may have begun to bear fruit.

By including infringements against the author's rights in its scope, this international treaty, which addresses intellectual property rights, also affects Internet content.

The ratification debates which were placed on the European Parliament's agenda on February 29, were put on hold in expectation of the opinion of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The issue of the treaty's conformity with European Community law was brought before the court on 22 February by the European Commission.

No ACTA – Strasbourg. Photo by Christophe Kaiser on Flickr, CC-license-BY

Taurillon, the “magazine of young Europeans -France” describes “Europe's about-face on ACTA“:

Si l’avis est négatif, l’ACTA n’a plus aucune chance en Europe. Mais en cas d’avis positif, le recours à la CJUE représente le double avantage de redonner au traité une certaine crédibilité, et de repousser son adoption à une époque suffisamment lointaine pour que la polémique se soit tassée et que l’opinion publique regarde ailleurs.

If the opinion is negative, ACTA no longer stands a chance in Europe. However, if there is a positive opinion, appealing to the ECJ would mean a double advantage by giving the treaty a certain credibility, and also pushing back implementation to a time that is far enough away when public debate has settled down and the public's attention is focused elsewhere.

Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson for la Quadrature du Net urges on the European deputies:

Les eurodéputés doivent résister à la stratégie de la Commission européenne, qui cherche à gagner du temps et à transformer le débat en une simple discussion juridique, et pour cela continuer à travailler au rejet d’ACTA. ACTA vise à imposer une tendance pour une politique globale du droit d’auteur qui est toxique pour l’Internet libre et pour les libertés. Le Parlement européen est le dernier rempart : il doit agir et adopter une position claire et forte, faute de quoi il laissera le champ libre à la Commission pour imposer une répression inacceptable.

The Eurodeputies must resist the European Commission's strategy of attempting to gain time and turning the debate into a simple legal discussion, thereby continuing to work towards ACTA's rejection. ACTA aims to impose a tendency for a global policy of author's rights that is toxic for the free Internet and for freedom. The European Parliament is the last line of defense: it must act and adopt a firm and clear position, otherwise it will leave the field wide open for the commission to impose an unacceptable repression.

For trucbuntu, there is no question of remaining passive while waiting for the Court to adjudicate:

Les citoyens de toute l’Europe peuvent contacter leurs représentants dans les commissions Commerce International (INTA) et Industrie (ITRE), qui se réunissent cette semaine pour discuter d’ACTA, et leur demander de continuer à travailler au sein de leur commission pour le rejet d’ACTA.

Citizens of all of Europe were able to contact their representatives in the International Trade (INTA) and Industry (ITRE) Committees, who met on February 29 to discuss ACTA. Many citizens requested their representatives to reject the proposal.

The website of the European Parliament explains the procedure and the issues of the treaty [en] that are under scrutiny, and has published ‘What you should know about ACTA‘ [en], a page of questions and answers. The ACTA workshop of the European Parliament has been the object of a storify [en] made by the Parliamentary services (link via Global Voices contributor Asteris Masouras [en]).

The organization AVAAZ submitted a petition to the European Parliament on 29 February with 2.4 million signatures against ACTA. The petition is still open:

Nous sommes vraiment proches de la victoire — notre pétition forte de 2,4 millions de signatures a ébranlé les responsables politiques partout en Europe et stoppé les censeurs. La Commission européenne est à présent en position de faiblesse et espère que la Cour de justice donnera son feu vert au traité ACTA en lui soumettant une question juridique très limitée qui recevra certainement une réponse positive.Mais si nous faisons résonner nos voix aujourd'hui, nous pouvons faire en sorte que la Cour examine tous les impacts légaux du traité ACTA et publie un avis qui fera toute la lumière sur cette attaque contre nos droits qu'est ACTA.

We are really close to victory — our petition, with 2.4 million signatures has shaken up those politicians in charge throughout Europe and stopped their censors. The European Commission is currently in a position of weakness and is hoping the Court of justice will green light the ACTA treaty by bringing before the court a very limited legal question, that will without doubt receive a positive response. But if we make our voices heard today, we will be able to get the court to examine all the legal implications of ACTA and publish an opinion that will bring to light the real attack against our rights that is ACTA.

No ACTA – Strasbourg. Photo Christophe Kaiser on Flickr, CC-license-BY

Anti-ACTA parties continue to strengthen their resources. New protests were set for 10 March, and torrentnews gives a list, with this appeal:

La liste n’est pas exhaustive, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter pour la compléter ;)

si certains se sentent l’âme d’un reporter- photographe en herbe, nous recherchons également des personnes pour faire un petit article photo du déroulement de la manif, rien de bien compliqué, comme fait ici pour Nice, Marseille,Bordeaux et Strasbourg.

The list is not exhaustive, do not hesitate to contact us to complete it ;)

If any individuals see themselves as budding photojournalists we are also looking for people to do a small photo story on how the protest unfolds, nothing too complicated, as it happens in Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg.

For details on the elements of the debate, see also these linked articles from the Tribune on February 29, and Myeurop, on March 3. On Global Voices, see the laws SOPA/PIPA that set a precedent in the USA, here [en] and here [en]. Since the beginning of the protests, ACTA seems to have lost a lot of political momentum.

The title of this post is inspired by the end of the article “La liberté sur Internet : le filtrage de la discorde” which was published by the Institute of Research and Legal and Information studies and Communication (I.R.E.D.I.C.). It puts into perspective Internet blocking and debates the adoption of ACTA.

The original article in French was published on March 4. For background on the ACTA proposal, more articles can be found here [en].

Balkans: Online Platform Tracks Reports From Areas Hit by Record Snowfall

Danica Radisic — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:12:22 +0000

Since last week, the Balkans have been hit by massive snow storms, the likes of which have not been seen in over a decade, if not longer. After an unusually long period of nearly no real signs of a typical Balkan winter, last week brought what seems to be non-stop snowfall throughout the region, including the seaside areas around the Adriatic that seldom get any snow.

Men shoveling snow from a street in Sarajevo. Record snowfall has paralyzed transportation in the Bosnian capital, where a state of emergency has now been declared. Photo by Sulejman Omerbasic, copyright © Demotix (5/02/12).

Serbia's national television network, RTS, and other media reported on Friday 3 February, 2012, that a state of emergency has been declared by the government, while citizens have been reporting critical situations throughout the country and that municipal services have been doing a poor job of tackling the snowfall in many urban areas.

In an article titled “Serbia Blocked by Snow, State of Emergency in 27 Municipalities, Recommendation to Call Off School Attendance” [sr], the Head of the State of Emergency Sector of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Predrag Maric, is reported to have stated on Friday:

27 municipalities in Serbia have declared a state of emergency due to heavy snowfall. Maric has told Beta news agency that the most difficult situations are in Sjenica, Ivanjica, Prijepolje, Crna Trava and Surdulica, where the height of snow has reached approximately 2 meters. According to him, power supply is “relatively good,” outages are being fixed quickly and there have been no long power outages.

Maric also announced the possibility of declaring a full state of emergency nationwide, which the Government did on Sunday evening, cancelling school throughout Serbia at least until Friday, February 10, among other things.

Several actions have been organized by the online community in Serbia and the region to fend off the snow and to attempt to regain a functional state in urban areas at least, such as a #lopataup (“#shovelup”), organized by one online community leader, Zoran Torbica, and other local Twitter users.

In the meantime, Al Jazeera Balkans, the recently established regional office of Al Jazeera news network in the region, has joined forces with the team from Ushahidi to set up a platform for tracking verified information on everything from road blocks, power outages to other critical points and information in the entire region.

Ushahidi is an open-source platform for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping, which was also used in Serbia just after the earthquake in Kraljevo in November 2010 to map and track damage in the area.

Haris Alisic, who heads the New Media team for Al Jazeera Balkans, launched the platform on Sunday evening, and many members of the online community, including some of the region's GV authors, have joined the Al Jazeera-Ushahidi team in curating, tracking and verifying reports from the region.

The adapted Ushahidi platform can be located on Al Jazeera's official site, while reports can be sent in by anyone using the following channels:

- via SMS to +387644218661
- via Twitter by using the hashtags #kolaps #sneg #snijeg #lopataup #iskljucenje
- via email to oluja2012@aljazeera.net
- or by entering information directly into the form on the”pošaljite izvještaj” tab on the Al Jazeera page

If you would like to volunteer your time to help map critical areas and are familiar with using online tools, please contact the author of this article, or Haris Alisic via Twitter, or leave a comment here on Global Voices, and we will contact you for more information on what you can do to help. We also ask that you all begin reporting from your area on Twitter and using the above-mentioned hashtags on Twitter, which are automatically collected by the platform and then reviewed and verified by Al Jazeera and volunteers.

Romania: “I, the Citizen”

Oana Maria Dan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:03:36 +0000

Street protests in Romania have been going on for over a week now. People are demanding early elections, and the talk continues in the Romanian online space on who the protesters are, what they want and what the aftermath of the protests will be. People in the streets do not yet have a leader, but they nevertheless have a powerful voice – and change seems to start happening.

On Monday, January 23, 2012, Prime Minister Emil Boc fired the Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Baconschi – a week after the latter posted this on his personal blog [ro]:

One thing is becoming ever more clear for Romanians with common sense. A life-and-death fight has started between the forces of the past and the project of a new Romania. The opposition has finally activated the entire arsenal inherited from the communists: armed punks, misinformation, hate propaganda. […] This year will be crucial for Romania. The choice is simple: reform, responsibility and safety – or involution, populism and the rule of a club. But the choice will be made by the earnest Romania, the hard-working Romania, the forward-looking Romania, and not by the violent and inept slums lined up, just like the miners of the past, behind the heirs of the former communist [Securitate].

Journalist Bogdan Ciuclaru writes [ro] about citizen responsibility, which Romanians, tired of being listened to only during election campaigns, are starting to exercise:

I too am disappointed by Traian Basescu and I am not willing to allow the couple [Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu, the two main opposition leaders from USL/Social Liberal Union] to do the same thing to me. Traian Basescu was the last representative of the National Salvation Front generation [the first party formed after the 1989 revolution] that I trusted and even liked. In 2004, he was a phenomenon, a skillful political figure, an alternative to a gang, a sort of a chili pepper… I do not think he cheated me – rather, he disappointed me because he turned exactly into what he seemed to want to condemn or fix. After trying out Traian Basescu, I think we have run out of reasonable options, and the only person I can trust now is myself – I, the citizen… I am not allowed to disappoint at home, in my car or in the street. I am not allowed to disappoint the bank, either, if I think about it. For citizens, the rule of disappointment is stricter. If you want to feel good about yourself, you’ll continue playing according to this rule and be careful not to disappoint your parents, family, colleagues, bosses and so on.

[...] Politics seems the easiest way of practising disappointment 100 times more intensely. When you are exposed to such a disappointment, you are left with few alternative options: voting and protesting. Traian Basescu’s evolution and that of other figures he proposed or supported makes me doubt my first option and pay closer attention to the second. For me it’s not enough to be listened to once every four years. That is the reason I took to the streets… If I did nothing, I would feel I’m disappointing.

I believe it’s a good thing people are protesting and expressing their discontent with a louder voice. This is just about the only way the authorities can still take us seriously. There’s no point in having wireless and central heating and buses if we are constantly followed by this frustration of not being listened to by those who we elected to lead us…

Romanian society has been quite passive over the past 22 years, and journalist Vasile Ernu suggests showing unity by turning the current protests white [ro]:

It’s getting harder and harder to get people out in the streets. We can, perhaps, gather 2,000, or 5,000, or maybe even 15,000, but it’s very hard. Why? For various reasons. We have forgotten how to protest, we have been fragmented, we have forgotten how to be united and brave, we have forgotten that beyond self-interest there’s a common one, which gives meaning to a society. We have gotten used to being humiliated and we have forgotten that we too can be a force that those in power should fear.

There’s still something we can do… What if we start wearing white ribbons or white scarves? We could wear them on our lapel or pinned on our chest, around our neck or wrist. All of them white. We could hang them outside our windows and cars. At first we would be 5,000, after that 15,000, after that 100,000 and after that one million. There would be more and more of us… Not anyone can take to the streets, but this gesture can be done by anyone who feels revolted and discontented with those in power. At first, we'll be shy and scared, but when you and I meet, we'll recognize each other. At first, there'll be just a few of us, and after that more and more will unite and become brave. Gradually, from me to you, from neighbour to neighbour, from a protester to a gendarme, more and more people will be wearing white ribbons. A minimum effort without violence. [...]

Some slogans of the Romanian protesters are against the entire political class. Still, who will the voters choose from in the upcoming elections at the end of the year? Catalin Tolontan imagines life after the protests [ro]:

I do not credit ahead of time any of the new political movements. What I believe is we cannot afford to come to the point when we can no longer hear ideas because of how imperfect the voices expressing them are.

We all live imperfect lives, but we expect of those who lead us to live outstanding lives. In such a case, we, and not them, are the hypocrites. Any one of those people at the University Square – women and men I greatly admire are expressing themselves there – has his or her weaknesses. [...]

[...]

I have my own doubts as a reporter and old quarrels with Crin Antonescu [an opposition leader and a future presidential candidate], though I like it that these days he dared to say, repeatedly, that political party members are not inferior to those who took to the streets all over Romania. Party members militate daily in their virtual agorae. What should we tell them? Leave us, we are immaculate! Sure, we can continue to hate the differences and long for a man on a white horse. We look towards the horizon. For now white belongs only to the snow, the only solution for those in power, a homogenous and cold snow in which we lose ourselves pure, unsoiled and isolated.

Finally, journalist Radu Tudor comments [ro] on Crin Antonescu’s statement that the resignation of the USL's MPs from the Romanian Parliament is merely a matter of days:

Personally, I have been asking this for a year and a half. After the dark night of the Romanian democracy, September 15, 2010, when Anastase Roberta Alma [president of the Chamber of Deputies in the Romanian Parliament] together with 80 MPs from the ruling coalition cheated on the vote on the pension bill, the opposition seems to have finally understood that it can no longer remain side by side with the thieves of the current regime. […]

I am very anxious and curious about whether the opposition will honour this engagement.

This would mean total solidarity with the thousands of discontented people protesting all over Romania.

This would probably be the final sprint in winning the elections.

Now intelligence is being sifted out from stupidity. We shall see…

Romania: Towards A European Spring?

Vilhelm Konnander — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:32:16 +0000

Gabriela Ionita of Power&Politics World summarizes ongoing anti-government protests in Romania, draws parallels to the Arab spring, and asks if this is the start of a European wave of revolutions.

Romania: “A Tsunami” of Protests Against Austerity Cuts and Corruption

Oana Maria Dan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:27:27 +0000

After five days of protests in Romania, representatives of the Romanian police are assessing the resulting material damage, the number of weapons confiscated and people held in custody at police stations. The Romanian on-line community is trying to explain why people have taken to the streets, what the authorities’ response was and what the outcome of the protests might be.

On Jan. 15, journalist Radu Tudor compared [ro] the protests to “a tsunami” sweeping everything in its path:

Thousands of protesters in Bucharest, Brasov, Timisoara, Pitesti, Deva, Sibiu, Iasi, Cluj Napoca and other important Romanian cities have demanded loudly and clearly: the resignation of Boc Cabinet and of President Basescu. A democratic and relatively honorable resolution to this huge tension between the ruling authorities and the dissenting people are early elections.

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In the minds of the majority, the decision has already been taken: the Basescu-Boc regime must end. This has caused desperate diversions with “hooligans” meant to partially compromise the legitimacy of the protests and to discourage people from taking to the streets. The violent rupture between the current rulers and the population can only have one verdict. A tsunami in favor of political change has already started, coming from ordinary citizens. It sweeps everything in its path. Especially, at the top.

Protesters in Bucharest are waving the Romanian flag and chanting slogans of support for Dr. Raed Arafat, but also against President Traian Basescu. Photo by ANDREI IONIȚĂ, copyright © Demotix (13/01/12).

Political scientist Alina Mungiu-Pippidi wrote this [ro] on Romania Curata, an anti-corruption portal:

[...] It was already time for protests. But when collective action is spontaneous, without leaders and planning, we run the risk of seeing again what happened with the [1989] Revolution – the legitimate protest being stolen, twisted and used and others taking advantage of it without actually changing anything of substance.

Traian Basescu deserves what is happening. Going outside the constitutional framework in order to hit a man who had already succeeded in implementing a reform – Raed Arafat – in the name of a future reform that even the World Bank, IMF and Romanian experts had doubts about, showing the same infallibility syndrome that reminds us of Ceausescu, he dropped the only guard that can protect a head of state. And that guard is the law and the rightfulness given to you by goodwill. No one is infallible, anyone can make mistakes, but at least you must be able to prove your goodwill.

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After this week, the civil society has gone into clear opposition and its strength and territorial expansion have suddenly grown. The question is how we could institutionalize such an opposition and use it in order to have fair elections [...], and after the elections to use it for controlling those in power. [...]

Journalist Radu Lungu answers [ro] the question many are asking these days – “Why have we taken to the streets?”:

Because what is happening in our society is our business. Because we really felt we were not living in a free country anymore. As all young people from our generation, who either remember very little from the communist days or were not even born yet, we too were manipulated by the media and political class. We were told that what is happening in the society we live in is none of our business, that educated people do not mix with the commoners. That we do not have their problems, that in our country nothing is done right and that that’s just the state of things. That standing up against this state of things is the same as being immature, uneducated. That we are going to leave abroad anyway and we’ll be rid of this impossible country. [...] We wanted to see with our own eyes what was going on, so we went into the streets with our cameras – unfortunately, we didn’t take our running shoes too, but you pick up the revolutionary fashion as you go along.

Radu Lungu recounts what he saw and lived through in the streets of downtown Bucharest:

At one point, the protesters stepped out into the road. Gendarmes formed a line and closed the group of people in, pushing them back onto the sidewalk. Many people coming back from a night out in the Old Town or standing in front of kiosks in the area were just caught in the middle and held by gendarmes. There was somebody holding some cheese in a bag, trying to explain to the police that he had bought it for himself and not in order to use it for violent purposes. People wanted to show their IDs to the gendarmes, but they refused to grant them this right. [...] People were also detained under the pretext that “now they can no longer leave” without being given any explanation. People were constantly asking to be searched and identified on the spot, according to Law 550 of the Criminal Code. Unfortunately, the crowd and the gendarmes could settle this legislative dispute only at police stations. [...] Still, the police at the station never had an aggressive tone. Many gendarmes just told us we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better to stay calm, sign some papers, take some photos and then off we went back home. I want to end my reporting with an appeal to calm and nonviolence. Personally, I will try to get as many people to come with copies of Laws 550 and 60 to hand to gendarmes on University Square. First, I thought of bringing copies of the entire Criminal Code, but then if we had the money for such intellectual accessories we would probably not take to the streets anymore.

A man is held on the ground by riot police, before being arrested. More than 1,000 of protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas to disperse them. Photo by ALEXANDRU DOBRE, copyright © Demotix (15/01/12).

On Jan. 17, following President Basescu’s requests, Raed Arafat returned to his position of deputy secretary of state at the Health Ministry and coordinator of the emergency medical system. Journalist Radu Tudor sees this gesture as the “official recognition that Basescu can be defeated”:

After having publicly humiliated Raed Arafat and having forced him to leave, on this day the infallible Basescu has died politically. But the huge wave of popular discontent is already in motion. Basescu is scared that [the opposition] is taking control of this discontent and this is actually the stake of Raed Arafat’s reinstatement. Neither respect for him, nor recognition of his value, but the fear that the opposition will benefit from the national outrage shown over the last few days in tens of Romanian cities. Raed Arafat’s reinstatement does not reinstate cut salaries, jobs, does not put a stop to prices going up, does not decrease VAT, does not rid millions of miserable people from huge worries created by this political regime. Raed Afarat’s reinstatement is the victory of the idea that Basescu and his gang can be defeated. [...]