Police make several arrests related to violent incidents at Bucharest protests

Police officers from the Bucharest General Police Directorate carried out 13 home searches in the capital on Thursday, in a case that targets the violent incidents that occurred during the protests that took place in Victoriei Square on the night from February 1 to February 2. Some 120,000 people were in the Square that evening, protesting against the Government’s controversial emergency ordinance on justice, when a group of hooded violent protesters started throwing firecrackers and smoke bombs at the gendarmes guarding the Government’s headquarters. These were the only violent incidents in over three weeks of peaceful anti-corruption and anti-Government protests in Romania and added to the dispute between Romania's President Klaus Iohannis and Social-Democratic majority leader Liviu Dragnea related to the protests. During the Thursday searches, the police officers found and seized more than 3,000 pyrotechnic materials. Moreover, they also brought several people in for questioning, and arrested eight of them. Six of the people arrested on Thursday are to be presented to the court with the request to be placed under 30-day preventive arrest, the Bucharest Police announced, reports local News.ro. Moreover, three other suspects in this case were placed under judicial control. On February 6, prosecutors from the Prosecutors’ Office attached to District 1 Court announced that they started the criminal prosecution against eight people, four of whom were placed under preventive arrest, and four under judicial control. The eight people are prosecuted for assault, use of dangerous objects, and disturbance of public order. Protests in Romania reach their goal: Emergency ordinance on justice is officially terminated Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com