Liberal youth protests against introduction of integrated history

Dozens of young members of the Liberal Party protested in front of the monument of Stefan cel Mare on Monday, March 27 against intention of authorities to introduce the integrated history course and to reduce the number of Romanian language lessons in schools. According to a declaration, „the Liberal youth considers necessary, on occasion of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania that took place on March 27, 1918, to say what it thinks about policy of the acting governance aimed to misrepresent the national history and to denationalise the major Romanian population of Moldova.” It noted that the actions of governors contravene to European aspirations of Moldova and violate the European Union’s Action Plan for Moldova, which obliges the government to respect the fundamental human rights and freedom in line with international and European standards and Moldovan Constitution. „The Liberal youth considers that the government should combat the ethnocide committed by the illegal Tiraspol regime and not implement the Stalinist Soviet theories by promoting a pseudo-history science in Moldovan schools.” The chairman of the Liberal Party (PL), Mihai Ghimpu, said that „the Liberal youth condemns the policy of the government to reduce the teaching of Romanian language because we speak the Romanian very bad, starting from cabinet of ministers, lawmakers and a big part of society. This action of the government is a pretext and a start so that to realise one day that we have an integrated history and a Moldovan language.” „This is not our last action and if the acting governors continue this policy we will continue the protests, in order to recover what God has given us at birth – the Romanian language and history.” The Chisinau City Hall did not authorise the protests. Ghimpu said that PL has notified the city hall that it intends to organise peaceful protests. Deputy mayor Fiodor Negru and deputy police chief of Chisinau Petru Corduneanu warned the protestors that their actions are illegal because PL did not respect the 15-day term needed to apply for authorisation of protests. According to Corduneanu, the police filed a penal case against organisers and the Chisinau City Hall will not authorise other protests of PL in the future.