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Photo from Balkan Insight
Thousands of Moldovans rallied in their capital on Saturday calling for reunification with Romania.
Following World War I, in 1918, Moldova joined Romania. However, it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, before gaining independence in 1991.
“We want to reunite with our motherland,” said one woman in the crowd. “Down with the borders! No one asked if we wanted to be occupied by Russians. For that reason, we don’t have to ask for permission. We need to unite – that’s all.”
A pro-Russian unification protest canceled the rally that they had planned on the same day.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the Moldovan parliament has said that his country cherishes its independence.
In a symbolic gesture, the Romanian parliament expressed support for reunification.
Demonstrators also applauded a group of several dozen Romanians who joined Saturday’s Chisinau reunification rally after a 1,300-kilometer (812-mile) “Centenary March” march they started in Romania on July 1.
European Truth reported that there was a clash with police, caused by the detention of three buses brought by protesters.
According to the participants of the rally, the buses had moving museums and information stands on the history of Romania. Romanian parliament member Constantin Codreanu said he filed a complaint.
The spokeswoman for the General’s Police Office Mariana Betsyvu said that the police did not detain the buses but brought them to a parking area outside to avoid the traffic jams.
Some participants said that police threw them out of the buses.
