The Europol union said late on Sunday that “politicians” had forced police and gendarmes to stop farmers and transporters in Bucharest by any means necessary and prevent them from blocking public roads. “The ruling coalition is afraid of democracy” and uses law enforcement officers to intimidate, police representatives also said.

The Europol union said these days, as more people joined the farmers and transporters who have been protesting for almost a week, they had reached “one of the most embarrassing situations as an institution”.

The Europol trade union has made very serious allegations, claiming that the police are under pressure to prevent protesters from entering the government.

• “The ruling coalition is afraid of democracy and uses the police and gendarmes to intimidate citizens. In this case, farmers and transporters. There are moments that remind us of the pandemic, with ILLEGAL martial law and the army on the streets, also for intimidation. Unfortunately, after actions by order of Minister Preda and State Secretary Despescu, conditions are created for a new “August 10”.
• Yes, our politicians have forced farmers and transporters to flee. Let’s block their access to public roads, let’s stop them so that they don’t end up in front of the Government to exercise their right to rallies, provided for in Art. 39 of the Constitution. Why do we refer specifically to the Constitution? Because police officers and gendarmes at the beginning of their careers SWEAR to defend the Constitution, even at the cost of their lives!” – argued the Europol trade union.

Europol points the finger at the Minister of the Interior, Catalin Preda, the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Bohdan Despescu, and the Chief Quaestor of the Police, Benone-Marian Matei, the Inspector General of the Police of Romania.

• “Thousands of police officers are under pressure these days to do ANYTHING to block farmers on public roads. And when we say ANY, we mean including the situations when they asked to park special vehicles perpendicular to the directions of traffic on a public road so that the protesters could not move forward. The police have been asked to gather information from any source and then use any channels to block it.
• It is obvious that all these steps are carried out under the threatening “leadership” of some bosses, servants of politicians, usually “trustees” or “appointees”, who do not obey the orders of those who hold political positions, namely Preda, Secretary of State Despescu or the head of the Romanian police chief , who also holds a political position, is appointed by the current Minister of Internal Affairs.”

The Europol trade union has also released several images which it believes are proof of what it claimed about the heads of the MAI.

“In two images you have proof of what was said above. In the first picture, we have an extract from the traffic police order, which states that it is FORBIDDEN to block a public road with a police car. The second picture shows the calls of the chief adjunct IPJ CS, the one who in the past threatened the police who allowed themselves to impose sanctions on those who illegally transported timber, but this time he is asking his subordinates to collect information, pursue and block those who want to go to a peaceful demonstration. All in the name of the party!”, Europol also wrote.

The Europol trade union called on the police and gendarmes to abandon “illegal” orders and called on citizens not to condemn law enforcement officers on the streets.

“We request the police/gendarmes to abandon the illegal regulations/orders and not compromise to keep the political class and rulers out of touch with the reality in the country. Don’t sacrifice yourself for governors who haven’t thought a penny about your rights, even recently when the question of applying the salary law was raised. For the citizens who criticize and condemn the policemen they see on the street, know that it is not their fault but their superiors who make them do so. And to those who lead us, we say GEN YARTYKY from MAI structures. The police and gendarmerie are at the service of citizens, not those who currently occupy temporary political leadership positions in state institutions,” Europol representatives also wrote.

Interior Minister Katelin Predoyu said Thursday night, in connection with the protest of transporters and farmers who were not allowed to enter Bucharest, that law enforcement agencies “do nothing but respect the law.”

“We do nothing but enforce the law, and I thank those who do, swiftly, firmly, but also tactfully. As you can see, the situation is under control. I am glad that irrational force was not used and that the case did not slip, and I also urge all protesters to abide by the letter and spirit of the law,” Predoyu told Digi24.

Mass protests in the country

Over the weekend, the protests gained momentum. In several cities, people say they stand in solidarity with transporters and farmers who have been protesting for almost a week.

During a protest in Constanta on Saturday night, an SAS soldier was filmed kneeling on top of a car and pointing a gun at it. Representatives of the police inspectorate of Constanta said that the weapon in question had non-lethal ammunition.

“One of the road users disobeyed the instructions of the policemen in the apparatus and left with a car to meet the participants of the protest action, as well as to the OPR points,” the report says. IPJ Constanta.

“The gesture of a police officer from the Intervention and Special Measures Service is regrettable. This proves once again that the politicians who lead the MAI put excessive pressure on the police to implement regulations/orders that have no legal basis,” Europol Constanța said, Ziua de Constanța reported.

After the incident, social activist Angi Sherban, a participant in the Corruption Kills protests, accused the police of actually dragging her out of her home, out of bed, for a Facebook post in which she referred to a police officer pointing a gun at a car.

“If under democracy the police come out with rifles to a peaceful protest, then isn’t it legal for people to come out with cocktails?” she wrote at the end of her appeal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

• “On January 14, 2024, police officers from the Bucharest Municipality Police Headquarters – Police Department 18 reported on duty the crime of “public incitement to commit crimes.”
• In fact, on January 14, 2024, a message calling for crimes was posted online through a social network. As a result of police measures, the person who administers the account in this social network was identified.
• According to the results of interaction with the prosecutor’s office of the 5th district court, an arrest warrant was issued in the name of a 36-year-old woman,” the capital police reported.

On Sunday evening in Constanta, hundreds of transporters once again came out to protest on several boulevards, they were accompanied by police crews and gendarmes

And in Bucharest, people gathered on Sunday in Constitution Square for the second evening as a sign of solidarity with transporters and farmers.

And in Ploiesti, dozens of car drivers drove in a convoy along the westbound lane at low speed as a sign of support for the protests, News.ro reports.