Ion Iliescu's Legacy

On June the 13th 1990 Romania's communist president Ion Iliescu asks the miners to come to Bucharest to 'clean up' the streets of anti-communist rallies.

20000 armed miners are brought by train to Bucharest.

Results:

• 1200 people arrested (yes, by the miners with police's help)
• hundreds savagely beaten
• women raped
• there are reports of about 5 killings
• the head-offices of all opposition parties, newspapers and universities are destroyed

During that period, I was regularly attending with friends and family the anti-communist rallies (no one from my family got hurt, my friend Radu got arrested).

Besides witnessing the savage beatings and destruction, the image that shocked me the most was that of an old lady who by means of animal screams was serving as anti-communist radar showing the miners who should be beaten next.

"The student, the student, he's a student!!" and the miners will flock on that person hitting him with anything from fists and kicks to stones and mine axes.

Human stupidity is endless.

Last month (may 2007) Iliescu said that on 13-15 June 1990 the miners performed an act of citizenship.

Only history shows if political actions are for the greater good.

In this situation, under Iliescu's presidencies, democratic reforms were seriously in peril, accession to European Union and NATO was blocked, a class of corrupt politicians and businessmen was created, hundreds of thousands of Romanians (mainly intellectuals) left their country.

Once and for all, Ion Iliescu's legacy is one of a criminal leader that used communist techniques of class war to control, scare and destroy his rivals. May justice prevail.