The Senate adopted on Tuesday a bill designating July 18 as the National Day of Anti-Communist Resistance in Romania.
"On the occasion of the National Day of Anti-Communist Resistance in Romania, central and local public administration authorities, public cultural institutions in the country and abroad, as well as organisations belonging to national minorities may organise cultural, social, educational and artistic events aimed at promoting the history of communism in Romania and the heroes of Romanian anti-communist resistance. Central and local public authorities, deconcentrated public services with responsibilities in the fields of culture, tourism and education, as well as higher education institutions may provide material, financial and logistical support for the organisation of cultural and educational events dedicated to the National Day of Anti-Communist Resistance in Romania, within the limits of available financial and logistical resources," the bill, initiated by a group of lawmakers from the National Liberal Party, stipulates.
According to the bill, the aforementioned authorities and institutions may organise cultural events in cooperation with museums, cultural centres, schools, religious institutions, associations and foundations whose activity includes promoting the National Day of Anti-Communist Resistance in Romania.
"On the occasion of the annual celebration of the National Day of Anti-Communist Resistance in Romania, the AGERPRES National News Agency, the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company and the Romanian Television Company, as public services, may produce, broadcast or rebroadcast editorial content promoting the memory of the heroes of Romanian anti-communist resistance," the bill further stipulates.
According to the initiators, there is "a certain" degree of nostalgia for the communist period in society, which may indicate that "the Romanian state has not done enough to keep alive the memory of the martyred heroes of the Romanian people, those who opposed the dictatorship at the cost of their lives."
"We consider it particularly important to preserve the memory of the anti-communist resistance in Romania, which manifested itself from the very first days of the establishment of the criminal communist regime. (...) On July 18, 1959, the execution of 16 members of the resistance group led by Toma Arnautoiu took place in Jilava (prison, editor's note), following a swift trial conducted through sham proceedings. July 18 thus remains emblematic for the history of communism in Romania, illustrating the manner in which the criminal communist regime sought to eliminate, through death sentences, any Romanian citizen who opposed the totalitarian regime," the explanatory memorandum to the bill states.
The legislative proposal will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case.
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