Members of the National Union of Independence War Veterans of Moldova condemn the aggressive acts of some of the protesters against the police and the whole society. In a news conference at IPN, the Union’s head Mihai Balan said that those who staged the September 17 protest planned to destabilize the situation in the country. He regretted especially the events near the head office of the public TV channel Moldova 1, where a minibus tried to break through the police cordon.
“The police officers are our children. We fought for the country. They now maintain public order and for us it is painful to have policemen in the hospital. All the political and public organizations have the right to free expression as the law permits, but not in such a way,” stated Mihai Balan. He called on his comrades-in-arms to peace and urged the politicians who are thirsty for power to fight in elections, not by such methods. Mihai Balan also said that the veterans were and will remain watchdogs of Moldova’s European course, no matter who is in power.
Chairman of the Union of War Veterans of Chisinau municipality Vasile Iakubov said some of the comrades-in-arms affect the image of veterans by their acts. “We, the war veterans, condemn the actions of former employees of the Ministry of the Interior, who went against the police. They know very well, as they also worked at the Ministry of the Interior, how it is to maintain public order at each protest. Yesterday we witnessed a protest that turned into a struggle against police officers who went to fulfill their duties on a day of Sunday. At yesterday’s protest, the police thwarted the intentions of those who wanted to destabilize the situation,” stated the veteran.
Vasile Iakubov said those who involve the veterans in this revolution are nothing but swindlers. He called on his comrades to stop such actions as these pursue one goal – to help some to come to power in order to rob the country.
The protest staged by the Great National Assembly Council on September 17 ended with a criminal case. According to the police, while police officers were maintaining public order and security, a minibus entered the crowd and moved towards the police cordon, endangering the life and health of those who attended the protest. Four police officers were hurt. It happened near the building of the public TV channel Moldova 1. On September 18, the police arrested the man who drove the minibus. At the same time, the leaders of the PAS and PPPDA said two women who took part in the protest needed medical assistance after the police fired teargas.
