Romanian filmmakers protest at Berlinale

Record ID: 216742

  • Title: Romanian filmmakers protest at Berlinale
  • Date: 13th February 2017
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 12, 2017) (REUTERS) BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL VENUE ROMANIAN FILMMAKERS WALKING WITH PLACARDS
  • Embargoed: 27th February 2017 13:51
  • Keywords: Romania government decree protest
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00163CSIEX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Romanian filmmakers in Berlin used the spotlight of the Berlinale film festival on Sunday (February 12) to stage a protest at the red carpet for the film "A Fantastic Woman" in support of anti-government protests back home.
    Thousands of Romanians protested in Bucharest and other cities on Sunday against the Social Democrat government that tried to weaken a crackdown on corruption earlier this month.
    "There were tens of thousands of people on the streets of Bucharest and all the other cities. And we said that we filmmakers, we have to show that we are supporting them, we want to show that we are with our people," Romanian film producer Oana Giurgiu told Reuters TV.
    "We know that Berlinale is a place that is really hearing the voice of the democracy," she added.
    The one-month-old cabinet of Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu enraged voters when it quietly approved late on Jan. 31 an emergency decree that would have decriminalized several graft offences.
    The decree, which was widely criticized in Romania and by its Western allies, prompted the largest display of popular anger since the fall of communism in 1989, with at least half a million people taking to the streets last Sunday.
    The government was forced to rescind the decree, and its architect, Justice Minister Florin Iordache resigned, citing a need to appease public opinion but arguing he had done nothing wrong.
    But even after the degree was withdrawn, rallies have continued throughout the week, with protesters demanding the resignation of a government they say they cannot trust.
    In Bucharest on Sunday, at least 50,000 people gathered outside the government's headquarters, carrying banners that said "Resist" and chanting "We want to work, not guard you".
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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