Priest to be interrogated over downing of candlestick

Priest Anatol Cibric, who organized a group of people to take down the candlestick installed in the Europe Square by the Jewish community on Hanukkah, will be interrogated at the Buiucani police department. Legal action will be taken against him if he is suspected of committing illegal acts, the head of the municipal police Silviu Musuc, deputy police commissioner of Chisinau, said during a briefing on November 14, Info-Prim Neo reports. The incident happened on December 13 at 11.10. A group of about 100 Orthodox Christians downed the candlestick placed by the Jewish community on December 11, on Hanukkah, and put a wooden cross in its place. Carrying placards and Moldova's flag, the given persons chanted anti-Jewish slogans even if the police asked that they stop their protest. Asked why the police did not stop the event, Silviu Musuc said there were only seven police officers on the spot. More policemen came afterward, when the protesters flared up. “The police officers tried to convince them to calm down as they did not have the right to intervene,” Musuc explained. The deputy commissioner said the case is investigated by the Buiucani police department. In order to calm things down, the Jewish community decided to transfer the candlestick to the square on Ierusalim St, where there is a monument to the victims of the Holocaust. According to Musuc, it will be guarded by the police. Silviu Musuc also said that the representatives of the Jewish community filed no complaint. The Moldovan Metropolitan Church was informed about the incident and is to make a decision as regards priest Civric's behavior. Anatol Civric staged similar protests earlier as well. The Government of Moldova expressed its regret at the incident, calling on the representatives of all the religions and ethnic groups to refrain from actions that could prejudice peace, harmony in the society and friendship between different ethnic minorities. The Government asked the competent bodies to treat the religious events with maximum seriousness and responsibility and asses their possible effects on the society.