Romanian police carry out nearly 30 searches in 15 counties after violent protest in Bucharest
Police officers from the Bucharest General Directorate of Police, part of the Violent Criminal Groups Service and the Central Criminal Investigations Service, carried out 29 searches on Tuesday, September 22, in the capital and 15 counties, in connection with the violent incidents that took place during the shepherds' protest on September 15.
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· 2 min read
During the protest, around 2,000 shepherds and farmers, as well as supporters of the far-right, pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu, now detained in an EUR 1.1 million fraud case, met in front of the Romanian government headquarters to protest the blocking of sheep and goat exports, the slaughtering of animals, and unpaid compensation. The protest turned violent, and gendarmes used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The ongoing searches are part of a criminal case for public incitement, assaulting a public official, disturbing public order and peace, destruction and assault or other violence, brought against 40 people, with preventive measures having been imposed on 10 of them.
Overall, police carried out 29 home search warrants and 30 summons warrants in the municipality of Bucharest and in the counties of Arad, Bacău, Bistriţa-Năsăud, Brăila, Călăraşi, Cluj, Constanţa, Covasna, Dâmboviţa, Gorj, Ialomiţa, Prahova, Sălaj, Timiş and Vaslui.
Police underlined the severity of the violent acts in a press release regarding the searches.
“On September 15, 2026, in the context of the protest held in Victoriei Square, some of the participants allegedly committed acts of violence and made threats against gendarmes who were carrying out their duties. Several objects, namely curbs, bottles, metal fences and pyrotechnic objects, were allegedly thrown by the violent participants in the direction of the gendarmerie forces,” the investigators said in a press release.
Some of the protesters also punched, kicked and hit several gendarmes with sticks, the police said, also citing assaults against “two employees of a media trust, who were at the scene while carrying out their duties.” At the same time, during the protest, several protesters damaged a special-purpose vehicle and other property belonging to the Gendarmerie.
The investigation is handled by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal, together with police officers from the Violent Criminal Groups Service and the Central Criminal Investigations Service.
