14 DAY TRIAL // Romania's anti-corruption protests made headlines in the last couple of days, as more than half a million people took to the streets to express their discontent towards an executive order issued by the government at the end of January.
It's been almost a week since the beginning of the protests and Romanians are still gathering in Victory Square (no pun intended) to ask for justice and the resignation of those responsible for issuing an executive order that would have allowed high-ranking politicians to dodge criminal investigations.
The night of February 5 will most likely remain in the minds and hearts of all Romanians as the night that literally lit the sky during the larger protests in the country since the Romanian Revolution of 1989.
The nearly 250,000 people gathered in the Victory Square lit up the night sky with their smartphones in a symbolic gesture meant to show the political class that the Romanian nation is watching.
Romania is not the first country to develop a so-called “culture of protest,” but it's definitely among the most civilized and “digitized.” Despite being the most corrupt country in Europe, Romania is home to some of the most prolific programmers.
Not to mention that Romanians have access to new technologies and services long before they are launched in well-developed countries like the UK, Germany, France, and Italy.
Digital literacy turned the recent protest into a non-political rally, as people are more interested in having the right laws issued rather than supporting certain political ideologies.
It's hard to say how these protests will turn out in the coming days since each and every one had a different “choreography.” There's one thing they all have in common, though, the elements of fun.
And with the latest protests, Romania makes a strong case of belonging to a “well-mannered European society,” something unimaginable no less than a week ago.
