Representatives of the unionist movement who protested in front of the Embassy of Russia in Chisinau  on June 28 expressed their concern about the delayed actions by the police officers who were present at the demonstration when a young protester was attacked by a man with pro-Russian views. The young men consider the incident could have been avoided if the police had intervened promptly. They ask for a reaction from the Ministry of the Interior concerning the measures taken to ensure the security of peaceful protesters.

In a news conference at IPN, the leader of the New Right Movement Pavel Vintila said the peaceful protest was interrupted by a man who illegally parked his car in front of the Embassy and then, in discussions with protesters, threatened them and, finally, when he heard the question: “What does the Russian army do in Transnistria?”, punched him in the face. Out of self-preservation, he hit the man with a placard he had in his hand for several times, casing him minor injuries. “We do not have a criminal past as an organization. We staged peaceful events and provoked no one. We aren’t interested in doing this,” stated the young man.

The leader of “UNIREA – ODIP” Vlad Biletski said that man did other similar things and is considered an aggressor. “This entered the City Hall with his car, blocked two lanes and faces now charges of hooliganism and attacked those from the Stop Ham movement. He has a rich experience of instigator and became violent suddenly,” he noted.

The leader of “UNIREA – ODIP” regrets the incident given that a conflict appeared between ordinary people, between a person with pro-Russian views who got into a fight and a person with pro-unionist views and none of these stood to gain. It is regrettable that the man who started the quarrel played the game of evil forces, managing to denigrate the protests or any street movement consciously or unconsciously.

“Our objective is not to jail those who have other views. The people should understand that such behavior is strange and leads to nothing good. We will never do such things. We will not attack like this. We can stage a counterdemonstration peacefully,” stated Vlad Biletski.

In a press release, the police said the violent man was arrested and will be investigated for hooliganism. He faces a fine of 27,500 to 52,500 lei or up to three years in jail.