Romanian president, head of European Commission pay homage to Romanian Revolution
<p>Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, posted messages paying homage to the 1989 Romanian Revolution, which has its 35th anniversary these days. The Revolution put an end to the communist regime in Romania.</p>
<p>The two leaders used the occasion to warn against the dangers of far-right, anti-democratic leaders and movements.</p>
<p>“Populism and demagoguery will not save us. As history has shown, peace and freedom never come from the East. On the contrary, from the East come shortages, war, and suffering,” president Iohannis said.</p>
<p>Further on, Klaus Iohannis warned that the values and principles of the 1989 Revolution are now at risk.</p>
<p>“The December 1989 Revolution was experienced with fear, great emotion, but above all with hope and courage, marking the moment when Romania was reborn and showed the entire world that it could create its own destiny,” declared the president.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent a message on Sunday, December 22, marking 35 years since the Romanian Revolution, highlighting the sacrifice of the people who fought for democracy. She said that Romania and Europe remember the sacrifice that Romanians made 35 years ago.</p>
<p>“35 years ago, Romanians defended their right to choose their own destiny. Many gave their lives so that their children could be free and live in democracy. Today, Romania and Europe remember their sacrifice,” said the president of the European Commission <a href="https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1870786292180476108/photo/1">on X</a>.</p>
<p>Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu also marked the 1989 Revolution, when, he says, “the communist decision-makers realized that old methods such as manipulation, propaganda, and the cult of personality no longer produced the desired effect. They responded with barbaric violence and bullets against society.” </p>
<p>According to Ciolacu, remembering the victims of communism but also the bravery of Romanians is a must.</p>
<p>“We, who lived under communism, have a duty to convey to younger generations what the communist dictatorship truly entailed, the damaging effects it had on society as a whole, and on the human spirit. Now, more than ever, we see how important it is to strengthen tools that cultivate civic engagement as a way of life and enhance society's resilience to disinformation, manipulation, and propaganda,” he said.</p>
<p>Bucharest general mayor and recently-announced independent presidential candidate Nicusor Dan also marked 35 years since the 1989 Romanian Revolution with a message as well. According to the mayor, “Our duty is to protect the democracy won at the cost of the lives of our heroes and to maintain the European direction of Bucharest and Romania.”</p>
<p>The Romanian Revolution began on December 16, 1989, in Timișoara, when the parishioners of pastor Laszlo Tokes gathered to prevent his move to a rural parish at the orders of the Securitate and the County Party Committee. Protests spread despite efforts by the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to put them down, eventually reaching Bucharest and leading to his execution and that of his wife on December 25. </p>
<p>A total 1,166 people were killed during the 1989 Romanian Revolution. The names and biographies of many of them were collected by <a href="https://romania.europalibera.org/a/memorialul-revolutiei-romane/32733104.html">Free Europe Romania</a>, so that they may be remembered.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Calin)</em></p>