Minister Bode: Those who assumed to participate in metro protest will pay before law

Interior Minister Lucian Bode said on Friday, during his visit to Bihor County, that those people who assumed the participation in the metro protest, even as a spontaneous labor conflict, will pay before the law because the provisions in force oblige to ensuring at least one third of the transport capacity. "The law is law for everyone. When you assume to start a conflict, even if it is spontaneous, you must be aware that this is illegal in the state of alert. When you start a labor dispute, in terms of public metro transport, you must know that you have a legal obligation to ensure at least one third of the metro transport in Bucharest. Unfortunately, these things have been disregarded by those who participate in this spontaneous labor dispute and consequently will bear the legal provisions in force. (...) We have opened a criminal investigation case in the sense that the legal provisions on ensuring the continuity of public transport are not observed. (...) These violations of the law will have to be clarified in court. Who assumed such an action, be it spontaneous, will pay before the law," the interior minister said. Lucian Bode once again expressed his hope that this conflict will be resolved through dialogue, and not through the intervention of law enforcement. He also mentioned that a complaint was received from the Metrorex management in which the metro protesters are accused of sabotage and terrorism, the complaint being urgently forwarded to DIICOT [The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism]. The Bucharest Police announced on Friday they launched investigations, under the supervision of prosecutors, regarding the start of the metro strike by the organizers in violation of the legal provisions, as the transport services are not provided for at least one third of the normal activity. According to a release sent on Friday, the Bucharest Police also announced that a notification was received from Metrorex, regarding the violation of art. 1 of Law 535/2004, on preventing and combating terrorism. The metro traffic is blocked by a spontaneous protest of some representatives of the metro employees' union in Unirii Square station, who descended on the tracks and prevented the departure of passenger trains. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sebastian Olaru, editor: Marius Fratila; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi; editor: Adina Panaitescu)