Thousands of people participated in the action called “Marea Horă a Unirii Neamului/The Big Dance of the Nation’s Union” in Tineretului Park, organized upon Călin Georgescu’s call. He was also present, for a short time, and then left for Carol Park, where he laid a wreath.
At the same time, the leader of AUR, George Simion, was also in Tineretului Park. The action ended around 1:45 p.m., when several people left for Victoriei Square, where a protest against the “little train ordinance” was also taking place.
The number of gendarmes present in front of the Government was supplemented, especially after a group of Georgescu supporters clashed with the security forces. Some of the protesters threw bottles and metal objects, and one man threw a firecracker.
The protesters jostled with the gendarmes, who were trying to move some fences. The people tried to break the cordon of the gendarmes, then threw bottles and other objects at the gendarmes, and one person threw a firecracker.
According to the Gendarmerie, this is an isolated group of protesters. Marius Militaru, the spokesperson for the Romanian Gendarmerie, told Digi24 that the other protesters did not follow the incitement to violence. He called for peaceful protests and said that the Gendarmerie is ready to intervene punctually, if necessary.
“This is a small group of protesters, who tried to break the barricade formed by the gendarmes. During these incidents, some of the protesters also threw a firecracker, trying to escalate the violence. Fortunately, the other participants did not join in this initiative. Faced with these isolated actions, the gendarmes are forced to intervene punctually,” Militaru said.
Several demonstrators were again aggressive with journalists reporting from Victoriei Square. Digi24 reporter Valentin Stan was interrupted again, repeatedly, asking the gendarmes to intervene so he could broadcast from the scene.
Approximately 2,000 supporters of Călin Georgescu, who were initially protesting in Carol Park, arrived at Union Square after marching to the government headquarters. People chanted Georgescu’s name and “Georgescu president”.
The Digi24 reporter and cameraman were surrounded by several participants in the demonstration. They shouted “liars” and criticized the way the television station reported. Several gendarmes were present at the scene, watching the scene without intervening.
Also, according to HotNews reporters on the scene, a Prima TV team was prevented from filming by some of the demonstrators, who shouted at them that they were lying. These new incidents come after, two weeks ago, at the pro-Georgescu rally in front of Parliament, several demonstrators threw pretzels and water bottles at a journalist from Digi 24. The Observator journalists’ car was also vandalized.
As the demonstrators were leaving the Tineretului Park, the Digi24 team was roughed up by some of them, according to the news channel. The live broadcast of reporter Valentin Stan was stopped after several people pulled the camera and roughed him up, and some started swearing, live
Călin Georgescu arrived at Carol Park, accompanied by his wife, to lay a wreath. He was surrounded by several bodyguards, as he had been during his previous public appearances.
In a message posted on his Facebook page, Călin Georgescu stated that, at 1:00 p.m., in the Youth Park, he will lay a wreath “in honor of the soldiers whose sacrifice has always kept danger away from the family and the Romanian home,” and then invited Romanians to unite in the Hora, “one with another and all of us with God.” Georgescu also said that he will then go to Carol Park, to the tomb of the Unknown Hero, in front of the Mausoleum, where he will lay a wreath “as a symbol of appreciation for the sacrifice of our brothers who fell in battle.” “We are the family, we are Romanians, we are here forever masters!”, Călin Georgescu concluded his Facebook message.
Initially, Călin Georgescu had announced that the “Great Hora” he was organizing would take place in Victoriei Square. However, the trade unionists sent a few days ago that this protest action was not political and asked Călin Georgescu not to overlap the two actions.
“Regardless of their political options: reservists, policemen, railway workers, trade unions and NGOs from all branches of activity, including revolutionaries, will be in Victoriei Square on January 24, 2025 and we must be as many as possible, exclusively for social justice! In the spirit of our unity, we firmly prohibit, at actions of this kind, any presence and any manifestation of a political nature,” the protest organizers sent a message. Călin Georgescu returned and changed the location of the action, which he called the “Great Hora of the Unity of the Nation” to the Tineretului Park.