President Iohannis lays wreath to honour memory of victims of 1989 Revolution, in University Square

President Klaus Iohannis on Monday morning laid a wreath at the crucifix in University Square to honour the memory of the victims of the December 1989 Revolution. On December 20/21, 1989, the Municipal Committee of the Romanian Communist Party decided to organize, in the Republic Square (Palace Square) in front of the Central Committee of the PCR, a large "people's gathering" to condemn the "hooligan actions" in Timisoara. The rally was broadcast live on radio and television. Nicolae Ceausescu's speech was interrupted by boos and whistles of spontaneously formed groups of protesters. The crowd dispersed, and thousands of people continued to plead for democracy in the nearby streets and to chant slogans against dictatorship. During the evening, protestors, mostly young people, gathered near the Intercontinental Hotel in Universitatii Square, where they built a barricade in front of law enforcement. Law enforcement was ordered to "clean up the area." During the night, protesters were shot dead and injured. Numerous protesters were also arrested and taken to Jilava Prison near Bucharest. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)