The 2012 Romanian protests were a series of protests and civil manifestations triggered by the introduction of new health reform legislation. In particular, President Traian Băsescu criticized the Deputy Minister of Health, Raed Arafat, on a Romanian television broadcast. The protests became violent, with both protesters and members of the Gendarmerie sustaining injuries during their clashes.
On the morning of 5 February 2012, Prime Minister Emil Boc announced his resignation because of the protests. He said that his decision would release the tension in the country's political and social situation. Protests, on a lesser scale, continued in University Square in Bucharest. The protesters demanded the president's resignation and early general elections. There were ongoing protests in Romania in subsequent months over a variety of disagreements.
Causes of January protests
Parliamentary legislation of 2010
In 2010, in the recession of the late 2000s, the Boc government, with the support of president Traian Băsescu, imposed a series of tax increases and cuts in public sector wages and social benefits. Boc also imposed a new labour code, which was informed by multinational corporations and business representatives such as the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce, the major Romanian trade unions, and some employers' organizations. At the time, the Boc government ruled by only a small majority and the parliamentary opposed all the new measures. Boc therefore used a special procedure provided by the Constitution of Romania to pass the new measures.
Parliamentary legislation of 2011
In the last days of 2011, the government introduced a new healthcare bill. It would have reduced state funded health benefits, de-regulated the health insurance market, and privatised Romanian hospitals.
Objection by Raed Arafat
One of the main objectors was the undersecretary, Raed Arafat, the founder of the "Mobile Service Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication" (SMURD) service, a public emergency service partially funded by private donations and partially by the government. His concern was the privatization of emergency services, which he believed would lead to the disappearance of the public service, as for-profit emergency service companies would have access to both private and public funds. President Băsescu criticised Arafat for his opposition. On 9 January 2012, in a phone call to a TV talk show, Băsescu suggested Arafat leave the Cabinet. Arafat resigned the following day, citing the main reason as the need for a fair criticism of the healthcare bill from outside the government. On 10 January, in Bucharest, Arafat and SMURD met to unite in opposition. On 11 January, an Arafat-SMURD solidarity meeting was held in Cluj-Napoca in the north-west.
SMURD demonstrations
On 12 January 2012, demonstrations grew in size and spread to Târgu Mureş, the base of SMURD. There, 1,500 to 4,000 people took part in a march organised with the help of the social networking site, "Facebook". As well as supporting SMURD, the marches also started to call for the resignation of Băsescu.
Băsescu
On 13 January 2012, in the evening, president Băsescu held a press conference and asked for the bill to be quashed, citing resistance from the populace. He also criticised those opposing the bill for cronyism. The health minister Ladislau Ritli, acquiesced. Despite these actions, protests continued.
Course of the protests
First phase
On 12 January 2012, a non-violent protest was held in Târgu Mureș to express solidarity with the SMURD founder, Raed Arafat. People gathered in the center of Târgu Mureș moved on the march towards the SMURD headquarters, blocking traffic, and demonstrators were joined by several hundred people, so that their number reached approximately 3,000. Several petitions had drawn up on social networking websites, these having hundreds of thousands, even millions of upholders.
On 13 January 2012, in the evening, a rally was held at the University Square, in Bucharest to support Arafat. At around 19:00 local time, protesters marched towards the Cotroceni Palace. The number of demonstrators increased to about 2,000. Other large anti-presidential manifestations were organized in Bucharest, Brașov, Timișoara and Sibiu. No meeting was authorized.
On 14 January 2012, protesters rallied at University Square and outside the gates of Cotroceni Palace. To avoid clashes, protective fences were installed. Around 18:00 local time, protesters blocked the Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard. After the intervention of gendarmes, Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard was cleared and people were pushed to the sidewalk.
Around 20:50 local time, protesters threw stones at the gendarmes. The Gendarmerie and police officers used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
Ambulance Bucharest and SMURD crews intervened for medical care to 20 people. Of these, five were gendarmes. Likewise, an operator of Antena 3 was injured during the protests, after being hit by a brick thrown into the melee. Gendarmes picked up 29 protesters, after they threw blunt objects and have disturbed public order.
On 15 January 2012, the demonstrations continued. From the early morning, protesters gathered in the squares of Romania's main cities. They waved Romanian flags cut in the middle (the symbol of the 1989 Romanian Revolution). They called for early elections. The Social Liberal Union (USL) (the parliamentary opposition coalition) demanded an extraordinary plenary meeting of the parliament.
In the mid afternoon, about one hundred people, mostly former revolutionaries, gathered in Victory Square, Timişoara, to protest. The meeting was authorized and was scheduled to end at 17:00, when supporters of football team Poli Timişoara were expected to arrive in the square. An elderly man chanting in favor of Băsescu was escorted by the gendarmes from the area.
During the night, most protesters at University Square maintained a non-violent stance, while smaller groups tried to destroy police barricades. Some allege manipulation of the demonstrations (for example, the police intentionally allowing hooligan activity) for political reasons.
In Iaşi's Union Square, a meeting of solidarity with Arafat was organised by the Iaşi National Liberal Party's (PNL) youth organization. They were joined by others who gathered in Palace of Culture Square.
Elias Bucurica, a member of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR), which supported the government was seen at a demonstration. Pictures of Bucurica at a UNPR rally supporting Neculai Ontanu, Bucharest 2nd District mayor, were published on 19 October 2010. Pictures of Bucurica at the launch of USP (UNPR's center-left political platform) were published on 21 December 2011. It is alleged that demonstrators vandalised a route from Union Square to Tineretului Park (the largest park in Bucharest's 4th District).
Cristian Popescu Piedone, the mayor of the 4th District had resigned from office in the Conservative Party (PC), (part of USL) and intended to contest the mayoral election as a UNPR candidate. Piedone later said,
We should not turn this case into a political one and parties that want to profit from these events will probably have to explain themselves.
Gabriel Oprea, Defense Minister in the Boc Government and president of UNPR said,
It is pure demagogy, there is no connection between the people that were there and UNPR.
George Becali, owner of Steaua Bucharest football club, stated that among the hooligans involved in the events, there were Steaua Bucharest ultras led by Catalin Zisu, a general in the Ministry of National Defence of Romania. General Catalin Zisu declined to comment on Becali's allegations although he might have known about them.
Small groups of ultras were led by Tararache Marius, Țintă Claudiu from Dinamo Bucharest and Denescu Alexandru Mihai from Steaua Bucharest. On 17 January 2012, Mihai Capatana was arrested for 29 days for vandalism in connection with the events.
On 16 January 2012, protestors in large numbers gathered again at University Square, Bucharest. Police kept the peace. The Gendarmerie monitored key locations in Bucharest such as subway access points. They stopped demonstrators carrying weapons into the university area as well as arresting those with weapons at the rallies. No significant violent events took place. Around 23:20 local time, on Brătianu Boulevard, gendarmes surrounded around 70 ultras, heading towards the University Square. They were asked to identify themselves and subsequently loaded onto trucks.
Demonstrators from Union Square, Cluj-Napoca, whose number reached about 600, initiated an evening march through the city center, chanting anti-government and anti-presidential slogans and carrying large Romanian flags.
On 17 January, protests in Bucharest continued. Hundreds of people gathered in the middle of the day with numbers rising towards the evening.
Prime Minister Boc invited the USL opposition alliance to talks to be held the following day at the Palace of Parliament. The co-presidents of the USL, PNL leader Crin Antonescu and Social Democratic Party leader Victor Ponta, announced the agenda. The first item was the immediate resignation of the Democratic Liberal Party Government of Emil Boc and early elections.
Protests took place in 60 other Romanian cities involving over 5,000 people.
Arafat returned to his former position as under-secretary of state. He declared that his initial resignation was because of the health bill and since the bill was revoked, he could resume his role. He also stressed that the protesters no longer referenced him specifically and he would not make any further comment about the protests.
In Constanţa, building safety inspectors (an agency of the Ministry of Regional Development) visited City Hall to question the Mayor, Radu Ştefan Mazăre, about the legality of a number of tents he set up near the protesters' location. These tents were serving protesters with hot tea. In response to the investigation, Radu Mazăre expelled the inspectors and joined the protesters in the street. He thus became the first politician to join the demonstrators. He has stated that his presence was not as Mayor or politician, but as a citizen.
In Alexandria, Teleorman County, hundreds of people, including unemployed citizens, pensioners, civil servants and trade unionists protested on the plaza of the House of Culture. They were joined by dozens of people coming from Roşiori de Vede by bus. As well as demanding Băsescu's resignation, the people also called for the resignation of the county prefect, Teodor Nițulescu.
19 January 2012 was one of the most violent days of the protests. Between 1,500 and 20,000 people gathered in central Bucharest. Revolutionaries, young people, office workers, members of the USL, gendarmes, football fans and politicians gathered in University Square. Protesters at University Square threw bottles and stones at the gendarmes. 30 to 40 protesters were arrested. In Arch of Triumph Square a USL meeting was organized. The participants were greeted with hostility by protesters from the University Square, Ludovic Orban being pushed and booed by them.
On 23 January, over 3,000 people demonstrated in several cities. Teodor Baconschi, the foreign minister tendered his resignation after having called the protesters "clueless and inept slum dwellers".
Lieutenant Gheorghe Alexandru, aged 27, a member of Air 71 Flotilla Câmpia Turzii, arrived in uniform among the protesters in University Square in Bucharest. He chose to join demonstrators in Bucharest out of "respect for his nation" and to demonstrate that "the Army did not leave". He acknowledged that there would be consequences for him.
On 24 January, on the twelfth day of (mostly non-violent) protests continued in Victory Square. Some entered the TVR public television headquarters accusing the broadcaster of censorship. Băsescu spoke about the protests.
On 25 January 2012, the protests continued despite inclement weather. Băsescu addressed the nation to give reassurance. He advised he would not resign unless it became the only obvious solution to the political crisis. He promised to act on the reform referendum of 2009.
Second phase
From 24 April to 1 May 2012, thousands of people from the three historical regions – Moldavia, Transylvania and Wallachia – attended the protest march "Give my Romania back!". The protest march was organized similarly to the Wallachian uprising of 1821, with starting points in Brăila, Ploiești, Galați, Constanța, Sibiu, Deva, Arad, Brad, Brașov, Craiova, Slatina and the final destination in University Square (Bucharest). The participants demanded, among many other claims, the resignation of President Traian Băsescu and the Ungureanu Cabinet.