Hundreds arrive in Victory Square for protest

Hundreds of people arrived in Victory Square in Bucharest on Saturday after-noon before the Government House Government to recreate the protest of the Romanian diaspora one year before.

People were carrying banners with various messages and flags, calling on the government to resign, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas. Majority Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Gendarmerie are also the target of other shouts.

Spokesman for the Romanian Gendarmerie Georgian Enache explained that the presence of parked utility vehicles in the area is justified by the large number of participants announced and that their role is to protect the protesters. He added that no water cannons were brought in. The clarifications were made amidst online reports to the contrary.

"Demisia Teodorovici, Daea" (Resign Teodorovici, Daea); "Fara penali in functii publice" (No convict in public offices), "Coruptia ucide" (Corruption kills), "Romania nu e a voastra! Plecaţi la capsuni sau la puscarie" (Romania is not yours, go pick strawberries or to jail) - were some of the messages displayed by the protesters.

Candles were lit in memory of the missing girls in Caracal, and also of those who died in a deadly fire at the Colectiv night bar in Bucharest in 2015.

Local Police officers were handing out bottles of water.

First demonstrators came to the venue at noon.

Romanian Gendarmerie's spokesman Enache said before the rally on Saturday that protection devices were set up in the square, and gendarmes' dialogue patrols were there on stand-by . He called on the rally participants not to carry large luggage. He also reiterated the availability of the Gendarmerie for "open and transparent communication with participants and organisers."

According to a statement from the Bucharest City Hall, the event is organised by Tomescu Tommy Joul as a representative of the Diaspora for Romania Civic Action Group. The application was approved for approximately 250,000 people.

The Bucharest Gendarmerie said the organisers mentioned the protest in Victory Square starts at 14:00hrs and takes place until 22:15hrs, local.

Several events related to the protest have been created on social media, including a public meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Revolution Square and marches along the main streets in downtown Bucharest.