PHOTO-VIDEO The organizer of the march demanding justice for the victims of Colectiv, fined by the gendarmes for “exceeding the commemoration hour” / “I have no words to describe”
Several people participate in the protest march commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Colectiv club fire. PHOTO Inquam Photos / Codrin Unici
Marian Rădună, representative of the MEA Association and one of the organizers of the march commemorating the tragedy in the Colectiv club, was fined Thursday evening by the Romanian Gendarmerie with 3,000 lei for “exceeding the commemoration hour”. Contacted by HotNews, Rădună says that the sanction is illegal and that he will challenge it in court.
Several hundred people participated, Thursday evening, in a march in Bucharest, to mark 10 years since the devastating fire in Clubul Colectiv, as a result of which 65 young people lost their lives. The participants gathered at the University, at 18:00, and then marched, at 19:00, to the site of the former club in Piața Bucur.
According to the organizers, the event was officially notified and had two distinct protocols – one for the actual march and one for the commemoration at the former Colectiv club.
Fine of 3,000 lei for “exceeding the commemoration hour”
Contacted by HotNews.ro, Marian Rădună confirmed that he was sanctioned by the Gendarmerie after 23:00, because “the commemoration time was exceeded”.
At that moment, according to him, in front of the former Colectiv club there were about 25 people lighting candles and observing a moment of silence. Radună claims, however, that the report is illegal and that the gendarmes “don't know the law”.
“Yes, the point is that the inspector from the Gendarmerie does not even know the law. There were two protocols, one for the commemoration at the former Club Colectiv, until 11:00 p.m., and one for the march, from the University to the Colectiv, made by me together with the authorities. The moment I arrived at the Colectiv, my event was over,” Rădună told HotNews.
Marian Rădună also published on Facebook the moment when he was fined.
The organizer claims that, according to Law 60/1991 on the organization and conduct of public gatherings, the commemorations are not notified and can take place without a time limit: “Law 60, article 3, says very clearly that the commemorations are not even notified, we can very well stay there all night. Mr. investigating agent did not listen to an explanation in any way. I told them that they were in error, before signing the minutes”, he explained, for HotNews, Marian Rădună.
The activist also says that he will appeal the sanction received in court. “We will appeal the fine, we will go to court. It's frustrating, because it's a waste of time. We, instead of learning… I have no words to describe this situation. It's about ignorance of the law, unfortunately, that's what happens when there are a lot of unprepared people,” he said.
10 years since the tragedy that marked Romania
Thursday's march marked 10 years since the fire at Club Colectiv, which occurred on October 30, 2015, during a concert by the band Goodbye to Gravity. 65 people died and dozens more were injured.
The organizers conveyed, before the event, that through this march people demand justice and draw attention to the fact that, a decade after the tragedy, “no one has paid”.
“10 years later, corruption still kills in Romania. Nosocomial infections still make victims – babies die in hospitals. There is still no real chance of treatment and recovery for the badly burned. Closed cases and annulled sentences are not justice!”, stated the organizers on the event's Facebook page.
