Protesters hold Romanian flags to welcome protesters arriving from the western town of Timisoara, at the Gara de Nord, the main railway station in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Romanians, many traveling from across the country, joined a protest in the Romanian capital against high level corruption and planned modifications to the legal system they say will hamper prosecutions. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Protesters hold Romanian flags to welcome protesters arriving from the western town of Timisoara, at the Gara de Nord, the main railway station in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Romanians, many traveling from across the country, joined a protest in the Romanian capital against high level corruption and planned modifications to the legal system they say will hamper prosecutions. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Tens of thousands of Romanians on Saturday protested against legislation passed by Parliament which critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

Protesters briefly scuffled with riot police as they massed in Bucharest’s University Square. Protesters shouted: “Thieves, thieves!” and “Resign!” and blew whistles and waved Romanian flags. They then marched toward Parliament.

Protesters of all ages came to vent their anger at the left-wing government, some accompanied by dogs or children.

Architect Tiberiu Calinescu, 30, who was carrying his 4-month-old daughter, said: “I have come here for the future of my daughter,” adding “I want to live in a Romania that is civilized and close to European” standards.

Diana Gradinaru, a 45-year-old economist, said the new legislation could result in “terrible thefts” by high-level officials, citing legislation that meant video and audio recordings could no longer be used as evidence in prosecutions.

There were smaller protests in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Bacau, Sibiu and Iasi. Protesters began arriving earlier in the capital by train from other Romanian cities and were greeted by people waving Romanian flags.

Last year, Romania saw the biggest protests since communism ended after the left-wing government tried to decriminalize official misconduct.

Parliament last month approved amendments to laws that many say will lead to a backsliding on its anti-corruption fight.

Prime Minister-designate Viorica Dancila supports revamping the judicial system. She is an ally of Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the Social Democracy Party, who can’t be premier due to a conviction for vote-rigging.

President Klaus Iohannis, a critic of the amendments, needs to sign them into law. On Friday, he wrote to the Constitutional Court saying one amendment that would allow public officials to own businesses “diminished the standards of integrity” expected from public officials.</s>Romanian protesters in Bucharest University Square on Saturday, January 20. Photo: Alberto Grosescu, Inquam Photos.

Thousands of anti-corruption protesters took to the streets once more in Romania on Saturday to protest against the ruling Social Democrat Party’s controversial justice policies, which have been criticised by civil society activists, international institutions and foreign diplomats alike.

Groups of demonstrators also scuffled with security forces, broke police barriers and occupied Bucharest’s University Square before they marched towards parliament.

The Social Democrats, who hold the majority of parliamentary seats, have been pushing to reverse some justice reforms implemented at the request of the European Union. The party managed to pass a bill in December that prosecutors warned made them vulnerable to political pressure.

Last week’s political crisis – which led to the sudden departure of the former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose and the Social Democrats’ decision to form a second government in just seven months – added to the demonstrators’ anger.

“We’ve changed two governments in one year, people who are really qualified are not promoted and there is no proper separation of powers in the state,” one protester who came to the capital from Ploiesti, 50-kilometres north of Bucharest, told BIRN.

He also said that the reason he travelled to the capital to protest was that demonstrating in his hometown did not seem to make any difference.

Many protesters travelled to Bucharest to join demonstration, including a group of demonstrators who marched over 400 kilometres from the Transylvanian city Cluj Napoca to Bucharest.

Thousands of Romanians have also demonstrated in Romania’s biggest cities. Many opposition politicians, including MEPs, joined the demonstrations in Bucharest.

Romanians took to the streets on numerous occasions during 2017 against Social Democrat attempts to curb the power of anti-corruption prosecutors within Romania’s powerful National Anti-Graft Directorate.

Many Social Democrat party leaders, but also those from other large political parties, have been investigated, prosecuted and sentenced for corruption in the past two years.

Among them, Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to a two-year suspended jail term after being found guilty of attempting to rig a 2012 referendum. He is currently on trial for abuse of office and is under investigation for suspected fraud in a European funds embezzlement case.

He denies the charges and said he is a victim of “the deep state” and hidden interests.</s>Tens of thousands of people rallied against anti-corruption legislation in Romania’s capital Bucharest, braving heavy snow, as well as a large police presence.

The protests were organised on Saturday after the leftist-leaning, ruling Social Democrats (PSD) passed new legislation last month that critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

President Klaus Iohannis, who is a critic of the bills, still needs to sign them into law.

An estimated 50,000 people marched from University Square to the parliament building.

“I came here to live in a free country that is not full of corrupt people,” Puica Marinescu, a protester, told Al Jazeera. “I want these assassins and mafia people who confiscated the revolution to leave the country.”

Another protester, Alexandra, said: “I come here because we want to correct politicians and justice in Romania.”

The protesters briefly scuffled with riot police in Bucharest. There were smaller protests in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Bacau, Sibiu and Iasi.

The European Union has spoken out and urged Romania to do more to prevent and tackle high-level corruption.

Romania joined the EU in 2007 and is subject to special monitoring of the judiciary and the rule of law.

More than 90 Romanian former ministers, deputies and senators have been indicted by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption unit since 2006.

But Brussels has been accused of being too soft on the former communist state.

The scale of the protest is nothing new in Romania’s history. Tens of thousands took to the streets in 1989 in a mass uprising, which led to the downfall of the communist leader Nicolae Caeusescu.

Memories of that revolution seem rife nearly 30 years later. “No communists, no criminals, no corrupts,” one of the banners read in English at Saturday’s demonstration.

The protest march followed another eventful week in Romania when Iohannis spoke out after a second failed government saw another prime minister removed.

“After I weighed all the arguments, taking into account the actual situation in parliament, I decided to give the PSD one more chance and to designate the person they proposed, Mrs [Viorica] Dancila,” Klaus said.

Danchila, who is a member of the European Parliament and the first woman to be nominated, will be the third prime minister in 11 months.

She is considered to be a very close ally of the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who was convicted of ballot-rigging and faces charges of abuse of office. His two-year prison sentence was suspended.

If the current anti-corruption legislation is enacted, the case against him would be dropped.

Danchila was brought in after her predecessor stepped down on Monday after falling out with the party head.

The new prime minister is set to be sworn in on February 2. One of her first tasks could be appeasing the marchers.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania -- Tens of thousands of Romanians on Saturday protested against legislation passed by Parliament which critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

Protesters briefly scuffled with riot police as they massed in Bucharest's University Square. Protesters shouted: "Thieves, thieves!" and "Resign!" and blew whistles and waved Romanian flags. They then marched toward Parliament.

Protesters of all ages came to vent their anger at the left-wing government, some accompanied by dogs or children.

Architect Tiberiu Calinescu, 30, who was carrying his 4-month-old daughter, said: "I have come here for the future of my daughter," adding "I want to live in a Romania that is civilized and close to European" standards.

Diana Gradinaru, a 45-year-old economist, said the new legislation could result in "terrible thefts" by high-level officials, citing legislation that meant video and audio recordings could no longer be used as evidence in prosecutions.

There were smaller protests in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Bacau, Sibiu and Iasi. Protesters began arriving earlier in the capital by train from other Romanian cities and were greeted by people waving Romanian flags.

Last year, Romania saw the biggest protests since communism ended after the left-wing government tried to decriminalize official misconduct.

Parliament last month approved amendments to laws that many say will lead to a backsliding on its anti-corruption fight.

Prime Minister-designate Viorica Dancila supports revamping the judicial system. She is an ally of Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the Social Democracy Party, who can't be premier due to a conviction for vote-rigging.

President Klaus Iohannis, a critic of the amendments, needs to sign them into law. On Friday, he wrote to the constitutional Court saying one amendment that would allow public officials to own businesses "diminished the standards of integrity" expected from public officials.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania — More than 10,000 Romanians on Saturday protested against legislation passed by Parliament which critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

Protesters briefly scuffled with riot police as they massed in Bucharest’s University Square. Protesters shouted: “Thieves, thieves!” The demonstrators will later march to Parliament.

There were smaller protests in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara and Iasi. Protesters began arriving earlier in the capital by train from other Romanian cities and were greeted by people waving Romanian flags.

Last year, Romania saw the biggest protests since communism ended after the left-wing government tried to decriminalize official misconduct.

Parliament last month approved amendments to laws that many say will lead to a backsliding on its anti-corruption fight.

Prime Minister-designate Viorica Dancila supports revamping the judicial system. She is an ally of Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the Social Democracy Party, who can’t be premier due to a conviction for vote-rigging.</s>Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets of Bucharest to protest against proposed justice reforms by the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) that opponents say will make it more difficult to prosecute high-level corruption.

There were brief scuffles between protesters and riot police at the January 20 demonstration as the crowd gathered at University Square in the Romanian capital.

The protest came in response to legislation passed in parliament last month that opponents say would weaken the independence of the judiciary, and to fresh proposals to decriminalize some corruption offenses.

A previous PSD-led attempt last year to decriminalize some abuse-of-office crimes triggered the largest protests in Romania since the communist era.

Rankings by Transparency International put Romania among the European Union's most corrupt nations.

The European Commission, foreign diplomats, and thousands of judges have criticized the move by the PSD-led coalition to overhaul the judiciary, saying it will place the court system under political control and weaken the fight against widespread corruption.

That legislation, passed by parliament on December 20, still needs to be signed by President Klaus Iohannis in order to become law. Iohannis, however, has criticized the proposed changes.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, Reuters, AFP, the Guardian, and The New York Times</s>Some 50,000 Romanians braved the sleet and snow on Saturday to protest against corruption in Bucharest. Brief scuffles broke out between the demonstrators and riot police during the march.

The event kicked off at the city’s landmark University Square, where protesters joined in blowing whistles, waving flags and chanting “Thieves!” and “Resign!” People also held rallies in other Romanian cities, including Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Bacau, Sibiu and Iasi.

Protesters are up in arms over new legislation, passed by the left-wing government in December. According to critics, the bill seriously compromises the country’s judicial independence.

Lawmakers are also set to debate a new set of proposals for revising the criminal code, including decriminalizing certain offences and lowering prison sentences, when parliament reconvenes in February.

“I came out today because I have two little boys and they deserve a better life in this European country,” protester Florentina Caval told Reuters. “I honestly don’t think we will manage to overturn the judicial bills, but we need to try,” she added.

Romania’s anti-corruption prosecutors have sent 72 members of parliament for trial since 2006, according to Reuters.

Last year, an attempt by Romania’s ruling Social Democrats (PSD) to decriminalize several corruption offences triggered the country’s largest mass protests since the fall of Communism in 1989. An estimated half a million Romanians, including over 200,000 in the capital rallied in February 2017 calling for justice, AFP reported.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!</s>Large crowds rallied on Saturday in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, the latest in ongoing mass demonstrations against revisions to the country’s corruption laws that have gripped the country since last year.

Braving snowy conditions and freezing temperatures, protesters gathered in the city’s University Square before marching to the Parliament. Once outside the building, the crowd, whose numbers were estimated to be in the tens of thousands, sang the national anthem, and people waved their cellphones in the air, creating an impressive display of light, according to the national press agency Agerpres.

Those gathered were protesting against new legislation, passed by Parliament in December and currently waiting to be signed into law, that critics say weakens the country’s judicial system and makes it harder to prosecute high-level corruption crimes.

Other demonstrations were held in smaller cities around the country on Saturday, according to Agerpres, including in Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara and Sibiu where thousands also rallied.

Those gathered in Bucharest chanted anticorruption slogans, denounced the current government and called for early elections, according to several local reports.

The controversial new legislation still needs to be signed into law by President Klaus Iohannis, who has long been a critic of the amendments. He wrote to the country’s Constitutional Court on Friday, saying one amendment that would allow public officials to own businesses “diminished the standards of integrity” expected from public officials, according to The Associated Press.

Some fear the new legislation, if signed into law, would mark a step backward for the country.

Last year, Romania saw its largest protests in decades after the government moved to decriminalize some corruption offenses, galvanizing the masses to denounce the move.</s>Tens of thousands of Romanians have protested against legislation passed in parliament which critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

Tens of thousands of Romanians have protested against legislation passed in parliament which critics say will make it harder to prosecute crime and high-level corruption.

People of all ages came to vent their anger at the left-wing government, some accompanied by dogs or children. There were smaller protests in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Bacau, Sibiu and Iasi. Protesters began arriving earlier in the capital by train from other Romanian cities and were greeted by people waving Romanian flags.

Last year, Romania saw the biggest protests since communism ended after the left-wing government tried to decriminalise official misconduct. Parliament last month approved amendments to laws that many say will lead to a backsliding on its anti-corruption fight.

Prime minister-designate Viorica Dancila supports revamping the judicial system. She is an ally of Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the Social Democracy Party, who cannot be premier due to a conviction for vote-rigging. President Klaus Iohannis, a critic of the amendments, needs to sign them into law. On Friday, he wrote to the Constitutional Court saying one amendment that would allow public officials to own businesses “diminished the standards of integrity” expected from public officials.</s>BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Romanians marched through heavy snow in Bucharest on Saturday in protest against corruption and attempts by the ruling Social Democrats to weaken judicial independence.

An estimated 50,000 people marched towards parliament from the iconic University Square, the site of all major protests since 1989, blowing whistles, waving flags and chanting “Thieves!”, while thousands more demonstrated in cities across Romania.

The Social Democrats (PSD) and their junior coalition partner ALDE used their majority to push a judicial overhaul through parliament in December, despite criticism from the European Commission, the U.S. State Department, thousands of magistrates and centrist President Klaus Iohannis.

Critics say the bills would weaken judicial independence and they have been challenged in the Constitutional Court where they await a ruling.

“I came out today because I have two little boys and they deserve a better life in this European country,” said Florentina Caval, 34. “I honestly don’t think we will manage to overturn the judicial bills, but we need to try.”

Lawmakers will also debate a new set of proposals to change the criminal code - including decriminalising some offences and lowering prison sentences - when parliament reconvenes in February.

An earlier PSD attempt to decriminalize several corruption offences at the start of 2017 triggered Romania’s largest street protests since the 1989 fall of Communism.

“This is a last-ditch attempt before leaving the country. The year 2018 will be decisive,” a 34-year-old real estate entrepreneur who travelled from the Transylvanian city of Sibiu to the capital of Bucharest said.

Later this month, the ruling coalition is expected to give its third prime minister in a year a vote of confidence following the resignation of former premier Mihai Tudose after falling out with powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea.

Prime Minister designate Viorica Dancila’s cabinet will mostly be judged at home and by investors on whether it will hamper or facilitate the European Union state’s struggle to stamp out high-level corruption.

Transparency International ranks Romania among the EU’s most corrupt states, although Brussels, which has Romania’s justice system under special monitoring, has praised magistrates for their efforts to curb graft.

Romania’s anti-corruption prosecutors have sent 72 members of parliament for trial since 2006. The speakers of parliament’s lower house and senate are on trial in separate cases.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators protest in Bucharest and major cities against perceived corruption and changes to the judiciary. Romanians in diaspora stage protests in dozens of cities worldwide in solidarity with the anti-corruption movement in the country.