Romania: Thousands protest outside Victoria Palace (Bucharest) June 21 /update 1

Event

Over 5000 people protested outside of Victoria Palace in Bucharest on Thursday, June 21, demanding the resignation of the leader of the ruling Social Democrat party and President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea and Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă. The protest comes after Dragnea was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for inciting abuse of office; Dragnea has denied the allegations. Additional related demonstrations are possible in Bucharest in the coming days. A heightened security presence and localized traffic disruptions are expected near protest sites.

Context

Opposition protests against corruption are commonplace in Romania, which has the highest level of perceived corruption in the EU. The June 21 protest took place after more than 3000 people protested in Cluj-Napoca to protest a controversial amendment to the criminal code on June 19. The demonstrators claimed that the amendment will facilitate corruption. Also, after the Chamber of Deputies adopted the amendment on June 20, protesters assembled in Bucharest as well as in Iași, Timișoara, and dozens of other cities to protest Romania's high levels of corruption.

Similar protests have occurred regularly since December 2017, including protests in February in which at least half a million Romanians took to the streets, forcing the government to repeal a similar corruption-related ordinance and the justice minister to resign.

Advice

Individuals in Romania, particularly in Bucharest, are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities. Anticipate transportation disruptions near protest areas.