When, on
Tuesday evening, the Government of Romania adopted an emergency decree which
essentially decriminalized graft,
and rushed to publish it in the Official Gazette at 1AM the next day, democracy
in our country seemed to have sunk at levels not seen since the early ‘90s.
It was late
in the evening when the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Justice came
out to the press conference, the former to flaunt a Budget which included many
social measures, the latter to make his own announcement about the decree
amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The journalists
all but ignored the Minister of Finance and focused instead on Mr. Iordache, the
Minister of Justice. Each question was greeted by Mr. Iordache with more
hostility and his every answer ended with a dry, confrontational and almost
menacing phrase “Another question!”
The press
conference was still in full swing when social media caught flame and Romanians
took to the streets to protest. That evening, thousands gathered in front of
the government building, Victoria Palace. “Like thieves in the night!” was one
of the most popular chants.
Every day
after that, the streets of Romania were filled with hundreds of thousands of
Romanians who felt cheated, humiliated and despised by their own government. Most
were students and young professionals. Many had participated in earlier
movements of protest; many more had never done so and had not even bothered to
show up on election day just a few weeks previously.
What made
them suddenly take ownership of their lives, their community and their country
is something History will no doubt investigate at length. We have now witnessed
the coming of age of a whole generation, who burst onto the political scene
fully armed with reason, arguments and a deep passion for European values.
The generation of their parents had overthrown the yoke of Ceausescu’s criminal regime, but had failed to fully part with the vestiges of Communism. In 1990, while still having the first taste of freedom, the people of Bucharest gathered in several great civil rallies, calling for the resignation of the President, Ion Iliescu, a Moscow-educated Communist who had nevertheless been the leading figure of the 1989 Revolution. These rallies, which galvanised the students and the intellectuals of the day, were brutally smashed when Ion Iliescu called to Bucharest the miners from the Jiu Valley. In scenes of indescribable violence, the young flowers of democracy wilted beneath the grey boots of the miners. There followed many years when Romania gradually enacted reforms, culminating in 2007 with becoming a full member of the European Union. Nevertheless, politicians still appeared untouchable despite their flagrant corruption. Consequently, interest in politics steadily decreased, reaching historical lows in the 2016 elections, with younger generations feeling particularly blasé about this topic.
Yet now,
with their blatant attack on the Judiciary, the Social-Democratic government
managed to galvanise the people in an unprecedented way. Young Romanians took
to the streets to protest in spectacular way. Vocal against the government,
they were soft-spoken with each other. They didn’t shy away from shouting insults
at the government, but were impeccably polite to the law enforcement officers.
When several hundred hooligans arrived at the protest in Bucharest and attacked
the gendarmes, with the transparent intent of braking up the rally, protestors
immediately isolated them and shouted “No Violence!”, “That is not the way!”
and even went to far as to try and create a human wall in front of the
hooligans to stop them attacking the gendarmes. This silent, discreet heroism
became the norm at these rallies, and generosity was displayed at every
occasion. People brought snacks and warm beverages and distributed them for
free. In a country where littering is common, people took great pains to avoid
it and volunteers stayed late into the night to make the square impeccably clean.
In a country where business owners are generally distrusted for their love of
profit and heavy demands on employees, many businesses offered their services
for free to protestors (free beverages, free food, free accommodation) and
allowed employees leave or flexible hours in order to allow them to take part
in protests.
There was
anger at the government, but humour was the pressure valve which prevented it
from turning into violence. Every evening, there appeared more signs, some
serious, some bitterly funny (here and here). People shouted their anger, but took care to remain informed. Their demands
evolved in step with the latest developments. Laws were read avidly and debated,
in the street and in the press. When it became known that an interim government cannot, by law, withdraw an emergency decree, people adapted and asked the
current government to rescind the decree, and ONLY THEN resign. When it became
known that rescinding the decree might, by a quirk of the law, allow it to
still produce effects, the people immediately asked for it not to be rescinded,
but rather annulled.
Social
media was instrumental in keeping people connected and, despite the received
wisdom that technology alienates and isolates humans, it was a fantastic bridge
between Romanians in the streets and those at home, between those in Bucharest
and those in other cities. In an unprecedented feat, at 10PM every night,
Romanians protesting all over the country stopped and chanted the national anthem.
Though stifled
and delayed in 1990, democracy has bloomed again, a generation later. This
generation has decided to stand its ground and halt corruption. This generation
has decided to stay in Romania and to finally take personal responsibility for
its future.
After days
of unprecedented – and completely unexpected – protests, the government has
decided to relent. This evening, the prime minister has announced he would
summon the Cabinet on Sunday and identify the best legal way to ensure the
emergency decree does not produce effects.
It is a
great victory for citizens in Romania. But it is a victory which needs to be
consolidated. The street cannot defend democracy at every turn. It is the task
of political institutions, political parties, of the independent press, of the
NGOs. The President, who has made sure he is seen as an ally, but crucially not
the leader of the street protests, has gained immense respect. The Judiciary seems,
for the time being, shielded against abrupt changes. There was even a visible
change in the editorial policy of some news channels, which turned much more
favourable to the protests towards the end.
The future is not certain, but Romanians seem
ready to meet it with optimism and, if need be, with a witty sign in hand. 