Austerity anger
January 16, 2012
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc appealed for calm on Monday after clashes between anti-austerity protesters and riot police at the weekend left more than 50 people injured.
"Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Romania, and peaceful demonstrations are legitimate, but street violence is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," said Boc after a meeting of the ruling coalition.
The premier called for dialogue and said he sympathized with the "suffering and the difficulties" of citizens.
"Street violence will only impair our chance of creating prosperity more rapidly and put at risk Romania's situation on an international level," Boc warned.
Several hundred demonstrators had gathered in Bucharest on Saturday and Sunday to voice opposition to health reforms that led to the resignation of popular Health Minister Raed Arafat. Some 4,000 people took part nationwide.
Arafat, a respected Palestinian-born doctor, resigned last week after a dispute with President Traian Basescu over proposals to cut the health budget - which the government now says it will withdraw.
Protests 'infiltrated'
Although the majority of protests were peaceful, officials said some had turned violent after being infiltrated by soccer fans from the Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest football clubs. Protesters also voiced anger about falling living standards, corruption and public spending cuts.
Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu said windows and street lights had been vandalized. A police official said on Monday that at least 250 people had been fined and that 36 would be investigated in connection with the violence.
More than a thousand people gathered on Sunday night in the capital's University Square, once a focal point for anti-communist demonstrations, and smaller protests continued on Monday.
Among the other austerity measures are reductions in benefits and higher taxes.
In 2009, Romania took a 20 billion euro ($27.5 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Union and the World Bank. On Monday, the IMF said it would expand available credit for the country, citing concern about the country's economic outlook following a period of record growth.
Author: Richard Connor (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Michael Lawton