Youth protesting against presidential statements

Some 300 young persons, according to police estimates, protested today against the recent statements by President Vladimir Voronin, which, in their opinion, insulted the national symbols. The protesters gathered near the Triumphal Arch, in front of the Government building, waving flags and carrying posters with anticommunist and pro-Romanian slogans like “Down with the Communists”, “A Moldovan nation and state are Stalinist nonsense”, “Bessarabia Is Romanian Land”, “Free Bessarabia”, “Better Dead Than Communist”, etc. Dozens of policemen stood along the kerbside in front of the protesters, while several persons, apparently outsiders, were recording the rally on cameras. One of the young men participating in the event, who wished to remain anonymous, told Info-Prim Neo that they gathered to protest against the recent statements by President Voronin about the intention to change the national anthem and other national symbols. He added that the meeting was organised on the Internet, so no particular organiser is known. The young persons said they would continue protesting after the winter holidays. They even consider staging non-stop protests, because “in the existing conditions, the Moldovan youth has nothing to lose”. They couldn’t tell the exact number of participants, but said that some 2,500 net surfers expressed their intention to join. Vladimir Voronin stated last week that “the Moldovan language, the Moldovan history and the Moldovan anthem must all correspond to Moldova’s integrity and sovereignty”, adding that the national coat of arms was proposed “through the backdoor, because initially there was another version prepared, but it was changed in the middle of the night”.