#2019PresidentialElection/ Iohannis: 10 August - most serious intervention of the state against citizens since Mineriad

The National Liberal Party (PNL) candidate in the presidential elections, President Klaus Iohannis has stated on Tuesday that 10 August 2018 represented the "most serious intervention of the state against the citizens since the Mineriad (miners' riot)."

"I had no prior information. It looks like they gathered in great secrecy for this intervention in force and I can say, without exaggerations, that the intervention of 10 August, last year, against the protesters in the Victoriei Square has been the most serious intervention of the state against the citizens in Romania since the Mineriad. A comparison can be drawn only with the Mineriads and the University Square. The philosophy with which the intervention was made proved that the PSD [the Social Democratic Party] is against the Romanian and against democracy, and, I say all these things in full knowledge. I have been asked why I don't want to debate with the contestant? This is why. I cannot have a debate with someone who represents a repressive system of communist origin, we have to admit these things, whether they like it or not. Therefore, the state that takes action willingly, unprovoked against its own citizens is a repressive system which comes, in this case, from the sad history of Ceausescu's nationalist communism," Iohannis stated within the debate with journalists and representative of the civil society, at the Central University Library.

He showed that he got in touch, at that time, with the structures from the national security area.

"It's a catastrophe and we, Romanians, we'll be a lot in the collective imaginary on this topic and it will take a lot of time to find explanations, especially solutions so that nothing similar happens again," Iohannis stated.

The head of state said that he considered going to the protests of 10 August, however, he didn't go due to the tensions.