IntMin Moga calls August 10 riot police intervention unfortunate

The new Interior Minister, Nicolae Moga, said on Thursday that the controversial riot police's clampdown on an August 10 street rally was "an unfortunate event," adding that he wants no more citizens being battered by the riot police as long as they follow the law, and no more riot police officer being battered or offended by citizens. 

"This position of interior minister is a political office in a militarised organisation. It is not possible for a minister of internal affairs to not co-operate with all the organisations, because intelligence collaboration is very important. August 10 was an unfortunate event, it was a mixed bag. I ask that no citizen, no Romanian be battered by a gendarme as long as he or she follows the law, and that no gendarme be battered or offended by some law-breaking hostile citizen (...) These are very clear things to me. In a democracy there is the freedom of expression (...), but be aware that we need to understand how to work, what system to apply to the public peace. Do we like the system of the EU, which full members we are, that of Germany, France? As it is over the ocean in America? Then let's talk and do things like there. For now, we have a law, some regulations that must be strictly observed," Moga said at the main offices of the Interior Ministry (MAI).