“There will be over 50,000 people” VIDEO

Protest AUR FOTO Facebook/AUR

Supporters of the AUR party began to gather on Sunday, January 12, starting at 12:00 p.m., in Bucharest’s University Square. Among them is George Simion, the leader of the party.

UPDATE 15.20 The president of AUR, George Simion, revealed a calendar for the protests against the cancellation of the upcoming presidential elections.

UPDATE 15:00 The protesters marched towards Victoriei Square.

UPDATE 14.56 The Bucharest Gendarmerie informed that, as the participants gathered for the rally in the Capital, several people were observed carrying bulky luggage or possessing knives, keys or prohibited substances.

UPDATE 14.24 The gendarmes took a protester to the police because of the outfit, which had a tactical/military character, and the items he was carrying. Following the interception and body search, authorities discovered a number of items of concern in his backpack, including a penknife, tactical goggles, balaclava, a transceiver, binoculars, tourniquet and various emblems with inscriptions in Russian and Ukrainian.

UPDATE 14.19 The call to the streets for Sunday’s AUR protest, which disputes the cancellation of the elections, sows panic among Romanians and has the role of covering up the fraud of the first round of the 2024 elections, says the well-known political scientist Cristian Preda. He also notes that Călin Georgescu’s score is much lower than those used to win the elections in the 2nd round.

UPDATE At 2:00 p.m., according to estimates, 6,000 people are present at the protest, reports Digi24.

UPDATE 1:30 p.m. Protesters blocked both directions to the University.

The Gendarmerie accompanies the columns of demonstrators who from different areas of the Capital are heading towards the University Square, after having traveled by various means to Bucharest. From the first hours, social networks were filled with posts and images of people who announced that they were on their way to the demonstration which, according to AUR, would gather 50,000 people.

“Romanians are uniting today at kilometer 0 of democracy, to peacefully demand their rights. We are many, we are united and we will shout until we are heard! We are waiting for you with us, from 14:00, in Piaţa Universității”, the AUR representatives said.

Previously, they conveyed that the protest is “of the Romanian people”, and the AUR only offers the platform for those who want to express their grievances.

The protest is authorized and would take place along the route Piaţa Universității – Piaţa Victoriei – Basarab Passage – Cotroceni Palace – Piaţa Operei – Calea Victoriei – Piaţa Victoriei.

Original news:

Simion spoke about the main demands of the protesters and claimed that 50,000 people will be present at the demonstration.

“It is necessary to return to normality, to the democratic course and to respecting the Constitution. We are sorry to discover that we were living a lie and that we were being led by people who claimed to be democrats but were not at all. We have assumed legal responsibility for today’s protest, for the rally that will probably be the biggest in recent years. Our estimates said somewhere at least 30,000 participants, but today we can tell you that there will be at least 50,000 people participating in the protest that will start in the University Square”, said the AUR leader.

The column of demonstrators will start at 15.00 on the route Piața Victoriei – Pod Basarab – Palatul Cotroceni.

“In the diaspora, in more than 30 locations in Western Europe, demonstrations of solidarity with the protest here are being organized,” the AUR leader also said.

Simion complained that some buses that came from the country are not allowed to stop in the center of Bucharest for passengers to get off.

“The demonstrators are not paid, on the contrary, they paid their own way to be present in the University Square. More than 500 Romanians from the diaspora are also coming,” added Simion.

He also claimed that “it is not a protest of AUR, but of the people, of dissatisfied people.”

The AUR leader also said that he appealed in the first days after the elections not to take to the streets because he had information that “a state of emergency is wanted” in order to justify the extension of the mandate of President Klaus Iohannis.

“The purpose of this protest is clear: we protest against the coup d’état on December 6 and demand the return to democracy by resuming the elections starting with the second round. We are protesting against the governmental measures of the last few weeks of the “Trenuleț Ordinance” and against the defiance of the Romanian people”, said Simion, who demanded the resignation of the head of state.

The AUR leader also announced that the protests will continue until all demands are met.

Source: ziare.com