More than 10,000 people gathered in Bucharest in support of former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. The protest took place in Izvor Park, near the parliament building, despite the fact that the Capital Municipality had not authorised the event. The decision had also been upheld by the Bucharest Tribunal.
The number of participants varied in different estimates. TVR reported around 10,000 people, while according to data cited by Mediafax, as of 2:30 p.m. the gendarmerie estimated that there were more than 10,000 protesters in the area. Earlier, figures of 5,500 and around 8,000 people had been cited. AGERPRES described the crowd as several thousand people and reported that some of the participants had arrived by bus from various counties across the country.
The demonstration was promoted by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party. Its leader, George Simion, joined the protesters together with other representatives of the party, but said that this was not an official party rally. „We are here because one man from the Romanian people united us, and that man should have been the president of Romania,“ Simion said. He pointed out that the aim was for Georgescu to be treated fairly by state institutions.
Call for his release
The protesters chanted Georgescu's name and called for his release. The slogans included „Călin Georgescu is the president“ and „Călin, the people are with you“. Some of the participants headed towards the Central Detention Centre, where the former candidate is being held.
Georgescu is in pre-trial detention until 27 November 2026 in a case in which the prosecution has charged him with fraud involving €1.1 million. He is an accused person, not a convicted one, and the charges are yet to be considered by the court.
Two taken away, traffic restricted
Two participants were taken away by gendarmes because of aggressive verbal behaviour towards law enforcement officers and other protesters. According to the gendarmerie, they were identified for the imposition of administrative sanctions. One person felt unwell and received medical assistance from an emergency medical team, without the need to be transported to hospital.
Because of the event, the authorities restricted vehicle traffic on the boulevard between Izvor Park and parliament. The gendarmerie had issued an advance warning about specific risks, as a football match between Romania and Poland was also held in the capital that day, with around 3,000 Polish supporters expected.
Sources: tvrinfo.ro, mediafax.ro, news.ro