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37-533: Over the following period, the document was recognized and advocated by hundreds of civic associations, while almost 4 million citizens signed appeals in favor of incorporating the 8th Point into electoral law. The latter was also one of the main requests of the Bucharest Golaniad (which was violently repressed during the third Mineriad in June of the same year). In its final shape, the text owed much to

74-543: A hooligan , a scamp, a ruffian, or a good-for-nothing – which later gave the protest its name) or legionnaires . The leadership of the National Salvation Front realized that the protests grew too big to be able to repress them with impunity, so it focused on demonizing them in the state-controlled media. This part of the media called the protesters "delinquents", "hooligans", "parasites", "thieves", "extremists", "fascists", "traitors", etc. This campaign

111-480: A liberal-style democracy (Ion Iliescu argued for a "Swedish-style" socialism and an "original democracy", considering multi-party system as being antiquated ). After the elections the protests continued, the main goal being the removal of the government. After 52 days of protests, on 13–15 June, a violent confrontation with government supporters and miners from the Jiu Valley ended the protests, with many of

148-520: A parallel verdict from Prime Minister Mugur Isărescu ; it was outvoted by a new Social Democratic majority in February 2001, following the 2000 elections . (Șerban had died in late December 1998.) According to several commentators, the project was intentionally blocked. The journal Evenimentul Zilei indicated the Social Democrat parliamentarian Dan Marţian , who served as president of

185-607: A real test of morality for the political parties". In parallel, British historian Dennis Deletant has argued that lustration was intrinsically connected with the necessity for publicizing Securitate files kept by the CNSAS and the Romanian Intelligence Service . He also contrasted the manifest delays in Romanian procedures with the similar processes in three other former Eastern Bloc countries ( Poland ,

222-471: A significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (such as a birthday, accession , or removal). The national day is often an official public holiday . Many countries have more than one national day. Denmark and the United Kingdom are the only countries without a national day. Denmark has what is not a public holiday but an unofficial celebration called Constitution Day . National days emerged with

259-654: A telegram from France in which he wrote he was a "Golan Academician" ( Hooligan Academician ). The three main demands of the protesters were as follows. The protesters also disagreed with the official doctrine of the FSN that the Revolution was only "anti-Ceaușescu" and not "anti-Communist" (as Silviu Brucan declared in an interview given to the British newspaper The Guardian ). They also supported faster reforms, shock-therapy to usher in an unregulated free market, and

296-485: The Banat . The Proclamation of Timișoara was unsuccessful in its goal of shaping electoral procedures: the presidential and legislative election of May 1990 were carried without lustration requirements. Results confirmed the victory of the National Salvation Front as ruling party and of Ion Iliescu , a former Communist official who had opposed Ceaușescu, as President. Despite this outcome, although reduced in amplitude,

333-539: The Chamber of Deputies by George Şerban , elected as a National Peasants' Party member; however, since 1997, the 8th Point was disavowed by the new President Emil Constantinescu , who stressed his belief that it was "no longer applicable". The project remained to be analyzed by the Chamber's Judicial Committee over the following seven months, and many of its provisions were ultimately objected to, while it failed to win

370-471: The Czech Republic , and Hungary ). Golaniad [REDACTED] Anti-government protesters Opposition parties: [REDACTED] Government of Romania Political support: Marian Munteanu Corneliu Coposu Radu Câmpeanu Sergiu Cunescu Miron Cozma Ion Iliescu Petre Roman The Golaniad ( Romanian : Golaniada pronounced [ɡolaniˈada] , from

407-846: The Ecological Movement of Romania (MER) and the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD) trailing at around 2.6% (see 1990 Romanian general election ). On 22 April 1990, the Independent Group for Democracy ( Grupul Independent pentru Democrație ) organised a demonstration in Aviators' Square . After the peaceful demonstration, groups of people marched towards the Romanian Television (TVR) station, calling for its political independence. The following day,

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444-574: The Golaniad protests continued in Bucharest's University Square , and gave ongoing support to the Proclamation. In his previous polemic with the demonstrators, Iliescu argued that the Proclamation was likely to cause "a dangerous witch-hunt ". Leaders of the protest rejected this view, indicating that the Proclamation did not call for punishment, but rather for accurate representation . After

481-539: The National Salvation Front (FSN) seized power during the 1989 revolution. The FSN organization was meant to act as a temporary government until free elections were to be held. However, on 23 January 1990, despite its earlier claims, it decided to become a party and to run in the elections it would organize. Some of the dissenters and anti-communists who joined the FSN during the revolution (including Doina Cornea ) left following this decision. Many of

518-400: The stocks equally among the workers, the state keeping only those funds that may ensure the control of the activity") and immediate investments in the public sector (as a means to prevent the consequences of inflation ). The 11th Point also made mention of Timișoara's openness to a market economy , decentralization , and foreign capital , proposing for a foreign trade bank to be opened in

555-579: The 8th Point, which he believed to be rooted in "Marxist historicism " and attempting to impose a " moral code " in "situations [that] call for a series of compromises". A final demand regarded proposals that December 22, the date of revolutionary victory in Bucharest, be proclaimed the national holiday of Romania. The text argued against such a move, and, citing the example of Bastille Day in France , proposed December 16, when revolution broke in Timișoara, as

592-622: The Commission and whose position was threatened by lustration, as one of those responsible for the alleged action. In the wake of the 2004 elections , confirming the victory of the Justice and Truth grouping comprising National Liberals and Democrats , lustration was again brought to the attention of Parliament. This involved two separate projects: that of National Initiative Party politicians Cozmin Guşă , Lavinia Șandru and Aurelian Pavelescu

629-610: The FSN personalities, including its president, Iliescu, were ex-communists and as such the revolution was seen as being hijacked by the FSN. The FSN, which was widely known from the revolution and associated with it, won 66.3% of the votes, while the next party – the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania – obtained only 7.2% of the votes, followed by the National Liberal Party at 6.4%, with

666-517: The PNȚ-CD organized an even larger protest (around 2,500–3,000 people), occupying the road in the University Square , and some protesters decided to sit-in overnight. The protests drew the ire of the authorities, who, during the night of 23–24 April, began a repression of the protesters. The law enforcement agents beat up the protesters and arrested some of them. The authorities' violence had

703-688: The Proclamation indicated that activists of the Communist Party had displayed "cowardice" as early as 1979, by refusing to join Constantin Pîrvulescu in open disobedience to Ceaușescu. The 6th point condemned "prejudice" and "manipulation" against the emerging opposition parties (specifically, the historical National Peasants' Party and National Liberals ), citing examples where the "groups interested in resuscitating communism" had incited public sentiment with slogans of reportedly Stalinist inspiration. Neumann attributed several of

740-482: The Revolution itself, when "only a few cities rebelled [...] alongside Timișoara: Arad , Lugoj , Sibiu , Cluj , Braşov , Bucharest , Iaşi ". He attributed this pattern to political, economic and social discrepancies between various areas of the country, ones he believed to have been prolonged in post-Revolution Romania . Analyst Enikő Baga contended that policy differences also remained notable between Timișoara and its subordinate Timiș County . While commenting on

777-472: The age of nationalism , with most appearing during the 19th and 20th centuries. National day may also be known as Independence Day , Liberation Day , or Republic Day , depending on the nation and its history. Nations that are not broadly recognized sovereign states are shown in pink. Defunct states are highlighted in light grey. For nations that are dependent on, or part of, a sovereign state (such as federal states, autonomous regions , or colonies),

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814-565: The annual national sporting event Daciad (in order to compare them either with an epic, like the Iliad or, rather, with the international Olympiad ). The protesters also composed their own hymn, "Imnul Golanilor": The song may be translated into English as: Many intellectuals supported the protests, including writers such as Octavian Paler , Ana Blandiana , Gabriel Liiceanu , Stelian Tănase , and film director Lucian Pintilie . Renowned playwright Eugène Ionesco supported them by sending

851-585: The city. The text also expressed a hope that members of the Romanian diaspora who had left the country under the Communist regime were to return to their homeland and contribute to the society, and set itself against the portion of the public "who, instigated by obscure forces, abused the returned exiles". A similar call for solidarity was expressed in regard to ethnic relations (the document stated opposition to all forms of " chauvinism ", depicting Timișoara as

888-498: The controversial intervention of Romanian Police forces, and retaliation from the protesters, the newly-elected president made a public appeal which resulted in a violent intervention by groups of miners arriving from the Jiu Valley . The cause of lustration as prescribed by the Timișoara 8th Point was advocated in Parliament by representatives of National Peasants' Party and National Liberal Party , but faced opposition from

925-429: The exact opposite effect than the one expected, as more people came. Two days later, they were still there, their numbers growing; on the evening of 25 April, their number reached 30,000. The sympathetic press reported even higher numbers, up to 50,000 each evening. A number of protesters began a hunger strike . President Ion Iliescu refused to negotiate with the protesters and called them "golani" ("golan" meaning

962-640: The governing National Salvation Front and its successor party — which eventually grouped itself as the Social Democratic Party . On May 27, 1999, following the elections of 1996 which confirmed the victory of the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR, comprising the National Peasants' and National Liberal Party together with other groups), a legislative project seeking this goal was proposed inside

999-470: The inspiration of George Şerban , a local academic and writer. According to historian Victor Neumann , Șerban was in turn inspired by his collaborator Alexandra Indrieş , an influential intellectual and a former political prisoner during the 1950s. After being written down, the Proclamation was publicly read by Șerban from the National Opera 's balcony. One of the purposes stated in the document

1036-405: The moment of celebration. Eventually, the 1991 Constitution enforced an unrelated event, Union Day (December 1), as the legal holiday. Authors have attributed the limited success of the Proclamation movement to both resistance from surviving Communist structures and the special characteristics of Timișoara in relation to the rest of the country. Victor Neumann mentioned contrasts observed during

1073-512: The multi-ethnic character of the Revolution as mirrored in the Proclamation itself, Steven D. Roper made mention of the nationalist revival which was made obvious less than a week after the document was publicized (culminating in the ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureş and the creation of the Romanian National Unity Party ). At the time, the National Salvation Front accused the Proclamation of seeking political autonomy for

1110-574: The paramount representative of "the spirit of tolerance and mutual respect, the sole principles reigning in the future European House"), and a multi-party system based on free elections was endorsed, with the exclusion of " extremist [parties], be they leftist or rightist ". The document also proposed that the Romanian Communist Party had failed to meet the criteria for participation in Romanian politics, having "discredited itself by degenerating into red fascism ". In its 7th Point,

1147-627: The proposals, the former was more radical, calling for lustration to be applied permanently to all persons occupying public office under the Communist regime (whereas the National Liberal project restricts it to Communist Party and Union of Communist Youth active cadres, as well as to persons engaged in political policing in relation to the Securitate ). At the time of its presentation to Parliament, Cioroianu stated: "The law will be

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1184-399: The protesters and bystanders being beaten and wounded. Sources differ on the number of the casualties, the government confirming seven deaths related to the events. National Day A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people . It may be the date of independence , of becoming a republic , of becoming a federation , or

1221-474: The radical social and economic goals, as well as the moral discourse associated with the 8th Point requirements, to the authors' awareness of Marxist theories (for a certain period, George Şerban had taught Marxism at the Timișoara Polytechnic University ). While commending the document for thus identifying and radically condemning Communist practices, he expressed his personal opposition to

1258-774: The word golan meaning "hoodlum") was a protest in Romania in the University Square , Bucharest . It was initiated by students and professors at the University of Bucharest . The Golaniad started in April 1990, before the election of 20 May 1990 , which was the first election after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. Their main demand was that former leading members of the Communist Party should be banned from standing in elections. Ion Iliescu and

1295-695: Was rejected in Senate (November 2005); a second one, advocated by National Liberal parliamentarians Adrian Cioroianu , Mona Muscă , Viorel Oancea , and Mihăiţă Calimente and backed by the Timișoara Society , was eventually adopted by the Senate in early April 2006. It won additional backing from the Association of Former Political Prisoners and its president, Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu . Of

1332-517: Was successful particularly outside Bucharest, where the government-owned media was the only source of information. Public television showed reports of the protests in which they interviewed people marginal to both the protests and the Romanian society, such as Roma people , hawksters, and prowlers. The ending "-ad" ("-ada" in Romanian) was used ironically, since many of Nicolae Ceaușescu 's Communist manifestations had endings like this, for instance

1369-420: Was the explicit condemnation of Communism . Proclaiming class solidarity, the text opposed "the typically communist method of domination by spreading feuds among social classes". While expressing the will of "not copy[ing] the western capitalist systems with their drawbacks and inequities", the 10th Point of the Proclamation argued in favor of privatization (expressed ideally under the form of "distributing

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