site.btaOver 200 People Join Rally, Protest March in Support of Palestine in Downtown Bucharest

Over 200 people joined a rally and a protest march in support of Palestine in downtown Bucharest on Saturday. Mottoed "Romania in the Street over Palestine", it was held under extreme security measures; the gendarmerie checked protesters and their hand luggage with metal detectors before allowing them in the rally zone.  

The protesters - mostly young people - gathered in front of the National Theatre waved Palestinian flags and carried signs reading, "Stop the occupation. Free Palestine", "There is only one solution: Free Palestine", "Freedom for the Palestinian people", "You don't need to be a Muslim to stand up for Palestine. You just need to be human", "Stop the genocide against Palestine", "Ceasefire now". They chanted in Romanian and English, "Free Palestine", "Palestine is dying, we are hurting in Bucharest", "Thank you, South Africa, Palestine loves you", "Down with the occupation. Ceasefire now."

One of the participants in the peaceful march, Anka Dragucin, told BTA that she has two children and they are well because they are in Romania. In Palestine, however, there are women who have lost their children. "My husband, a Palestinian, died. We buried him here," she said. In her words, she came to protest for the first time in her life because she finds what is happening in Palestine very sad and is against the colonialism happening there.

Another protester commented that in 2022, Romania signed a contract with Israel's Elbit Systems company for the purchase of drones. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the health crisis, Romania invested not in hospitals but in missiles. In September-November 2023, after the fiscal reform that led to higher taxes, the Romanian government  found money to purchase tanks and F-35 fighter jets, the protester told BTA.

A protester with Palestinian roots said Palestine is a symbol of the fight for freedom nowadays. The name Palestine is chanted by millions of people across the globe. "They protested in Helsinki, too, to support us, in minus 10C," he said.

The participants in Saturday's protest march called on Romanian authorities to bring wounded Palestinian children from Gaza to Romania and provide them with healthcare and assistance.

The march ended in front of the Government building in Victory Square.