Update: Fresh protests on Sunday, inspired by one of King Michael’s speeches: ‘It is appropriate to resist the present and to prepare our future’

Following the three says of national mourning after King Michael’s demise, fresh protests were staged Sunday evening in Bucharest, including a march towards Parliament, but also in other big cities in the country and abroad.

The protests take as motto a phrase from one of King Michael’s speeches, the one in 2011 in Parliament: “It is appropriate to resists the present and to prepare out future.”

Despite it was snowing in the Capital on Sunday evening, the first snow in Bucharest this winter, thousands of people took to the streets again to lash out against the justice laws amendments currently in the Parliament’s debate. Protesters blew vuvuzelas and beated drumms while chanting “Thieves!”, “Thieves!”.

The protests started at 17.00h in front of the Government offices, while the march towards Parliament, althought it was estimated to begin at 18:00h, started around 19:20h. As they were informed by the gendarmes that another rally was authorized on a part of their route, protesters have stayed longer in front of the Government.

However, there were some 2,000-3,000 people marching from Victoriei Square to the Parliament’s building down Calea Victoriei, with protesters chanting “The King!” and applauding when they came near the Royal Palace.

When they got near the Parliament, the gendarmes didn’t allow them to go in front of the Parliament, arguing the traffic would have been blocked on several avenues. Protesters were re-directed to the Izvor Park, while shouting “Let us move!”

Previously in the day, at 15:00h there was another anti-corruption rally in Victoriei Square, a silent protest, with people covering their eyes and mouth with black blindfolds and staying with their face to the Government’s building. They stayed this way for about 30 minutes.

“Without seeing, without being able to say something. Powerless. The was justice will become in Romania. The message is quiet, strong and clear: after the justice laws are passed, magistrates in Romania will become powerless before theft, abuse and violence of the criminal groups in Romania. So shall we. Stop the justice laws’ amendment!“, the organizers explained the flashmob on Facebook.

The march  went from Victoriei Square to Romana Square, University Square, Union Square, United Nations Square, Parliament, where the protesters lit up the phone flash-lights.

“Let’s go all to the street Sunday evening to sound the alarm! Our silence is their power, so let’s make some noise! We fight to the very end,” the event’s Facebook page reads.

The organisers have asked the protesters to bring along pots, crates, lids, ladles and spoons.

“Come to the street. You feel indignant, confident we’ll succeed or, on the contrary, you feel tired and resigned? Come on, anyway! The feelings go away, the facts remain and they are the only ones that matter. In February we stopped GEO 13. We’ll do the same now as well,” they said.

The organisers made an appeal to Romanians to do something these days.

“Take off your head the idea that everything is in vain. That nothing changes and we are already in a dictatorship. False. Nothing is lost. As long as we stay united and determined, such proposals would not be adopted, Romania will remain a democracy,” the organisers further say.

Protests were also staged in several large cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Brasov, Sibiu, Iasi and Tulcea, but also abroad, in Zurich, ziare.com reports.