CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2018) Supporters of Moldova's reunification with Romania continue to protest in the center of Chisinau in total darkness and police warned the participants that they should leave the square before 23.00 (20:00 GMT).
The organizer of the event was the Alliance of the Century - the name is associated with the 100th anniversary of the unification of Bessarabia (modern Moldova) with Romania, which occurred in 1918. The organizers' goal is adoption of a declaration on the unification of the two states by the Moldovan parliament.
About 2,000 people went on foot to the exit from Chisinau, because the police blocked the entry of three buses with the participants of the rally. At the exit, the column divided, part of protesters went further to Vatru, a settlement on the outskirts of Chisinau, to negotiate with the police about letting the buses pass. The remaining people blocked the road, provoking a clash with the police demanding to unblock traffic.
The second clash with the police occurred when the rally organizers reached the location of the blocked buses. The police explained that they had received reports that explosives and other dangerous items might be on the buses.
The protesters returned to the square and stated that they would not leave it until the situation with vehicles was resolved. The protest continues in the dark, as the lighting in the square and in the neighboring park was turned off.
The previous rally in support of Moldova's unification with Romania was held in Chisinau on March 25, and ended with protesters adopting a declaration in favor of reunification. Moldova's General Police Inspectorate (GPI) Deputy Director Gheorghe Cavcaliuc told Sputnik that approximately 7,000 people took part in the rally.
Moldovan President Igor Dodon earlier suggested holding a referendum in order to outlaw the idea of unification. According to opinion polls, the overwhelming majority of Moldovan citizens oppose the idea of unification.
The Kingdom of Romania was established in 1881 when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia decided to unite in a single state. The present-day Republic of Moldova is composed of the Bessarabia region, which belonged to the Russian Empire that time, as well as the Transnistria region where many Russians and Ukrainians are residing alongside Moldovans.
