Romanian Protests Continue as Government Doesn’t Bow to Plea
- Thousands flood major cities for fourth consecutive evening
- Premier says cabinet won’t reverse controversial measures
Romania’s one-month-old government refused to reverse legislative changes that weaken the nation’s clampdown on corruption and have sparked the largest protests since the collapse of communism.
While acknowledging people’s right to demonstrate, the ruling Social Democrats are backing the cabinet despite the resignation of a minister on Thursday. A fourth evening of public dissent Friday saw more than 300,000 people fill the streets of major cities, setting a new record turnout and marking the widest spread movement in the country’s modern history, local media estimated. About 120,000 people gathered in freezing temperatures outside the government building in Bucharest, with more than 40,000 in western Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca. Thousands marched in tens of other cities, including outside the country’s borders.