2006 Ferentari riot

A small riot took place in Ferentari-Zabrauti area on the evening of November 14, 2006. Ferentari is Bucharest's poorest district, and has the city's largest population of ethnic Roma people.

Events which happened several hours before the riot

The riot took place before four ethnic-Roma children were asphyxiated in the basement of an apartment block in the Zăbrăuţi area on November 13, as a result of a fire caused by candles. The children had lived with their mother in their dwelling for more than two years, and were obliged to light the basement with candles as they had no access to electricity.Evenimentul Zilei: [http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=280463 "Intifada din Ferentari"] ]

According to the administrator of the apartment block, none of the buildings's inhabitants had had formal access to electricity for four years, with many people connecting themselves illegally to the electricity grid.

The riot

The riot occurred because Electrica (electricity provider) decided to cut the electricity of some blocks, due to energy theft and consumer debts. However, whole blocks were cut the electricity, including few consumers without debts. In those blocks there was no central heating and people were using electric radiators (which are energy inefficient). There were also some apartments with air conditioners [Ziua: [http://www.ziua.net/display.php?id=211244&data=2006-11-16 Saracii cu parabolice si aer conditionat] ] , so the total debts (not including the stolen energy) rose to €400,000 Gardianul: [http://www.gardianul.ro/print-86964.html Violenta este o metoda de negociere mai eficienta decat diplomatia"] ] . The stolen energy was estimated to €430,000 per month. [http://www.dzeno.cz/?c_id=12050] Dzeno.cz]

According to the protesters, the local council of Sector 5 had repeatedly refused to authorize their reconnection to the grid. This led to around 200 inhabitants from the Zăbrăuţi area to violently protest against their situation, by torching tires, blocking traffic in the area and breaking the window of a fire truck, while calling for reconnection of their electricity supply. However, only 20% of the inhabitants of the area had any papers proving ownership or rent over the said flats, with the rest being squatters.

The electricity provider was criticized for not cutting the energy in summer, so that people could make plans for winter.

Both the electricity provider and Bucharest 5'th Sector, Marian Vanghelie were criticized (by then Prefect of Bucharest Mioara Mantale) for making electrical energy contracts in those blocks, as they were built as temporary shelter for construction workers and were never finalized. Apart from electricity, they do not have water, sewerage or heating.

Marian Vanghelie said he will not cede to protests. President Basescu said Romanians must pay for utilities "Imi mentin ideea pe care am mai spus-o. Bucurestiul nu este un oras in care poate locui oricine. Toti trebuie sa platim!" meaning "I stand by my previous statement, Bucharest is not a city where everyone can live we all have to pay to do that".

Outcome

Realitatea TV was presenting a news broadcast about the riot at the same time with the planned show about the latest ranking of the richest Romanians made by the publication "Capital"(basically Romania's fortune 500), at which Cristian Tantareanu and Gigi Becali were invited to speak about their wealth. Cristian Tantareanu said the ranking contains the 300 richest Romanians and there are about 300 people protesting, so why shouldn't every one of them help one of the poor people who were protesting. Gigi Becali said he would donate enough money to help all the protesting people, but he doesn't have time to ensure they will work (clean their buildings, etc), as Tantareanu suggested. At that time Becali didn't know how much money this would cost him; he was later informed it was ~€400,000, which he paid.

Becali was criticized for this, as it might be unfair for the ones who only through effort managed to pay the energy bills. Alex Savitescu, said "crime becomes not only understood, accepted, but rewarded". [ [http://www.supliment.polirom.ro/article.aspx?article=707 Suplimentul de cultura - La loc TELEcomanda ] ]

According to a poll made by students from SNSPA(The National School for Political and Administrative Studies) two days after the protests, if elections where to be held the following Sunday, 93% of people from Zabrauti would go to vote and 70% would vote for Gigi Becali as President, and 55.1% would vote for his party, the PNG. [Adevarul: [http://www.adevarul.ro/articole/ferentarii-l-las-x103-pe-vanghelie-pentru-becali/207303 Ferentarii îl lasă pe Vanghelie pentru Becali] ] At the meeting where people were thanking him, he said:"Pe mine ma cheama Becali. Cuvintul meu e litera de Evanghelie. Nu o sa pot sa fac toata tara asta, o sa fac toata tara asta cind o sa devin presedinte si o sa ma doara inima de romani" [http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/cms/site/z_is/news/becali_le_a_promis_locuitorilor_de_ferentari_400.000_de_euro_136883.html] Ziarul de Iasi: Becali le-a promis locuitorilor de Ferentari 400.000 de euro] ("My name is Becali. My word is as good as the word of the Holy Scripture. I cannot do the same for everyone in this country now but I will do so when I become president and as president I'll feel the grief of the Romanian people").

ee also

*Ferentari
*Roma minority in Romania

External links

* [http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=280463 Intifada din Ferentari] ("The Ferentari "Intifada"), Evenimentul Zilei article
* [http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php Protests in Ferentari neighbourhood]
* [http://www.gandul.info/articol_20947/ghetoul_zabrautului___lovit_de_bata_jandarmilor_si_de_banii_lui_becali.html Article about the riot in Gândul]
* [http://www.dzeno.cz/?c_id=12050 Residents clash with police in poor Bucharest district after electricity cut off] , Dzeno
* [http://www.dzeno.cz/?c_id=12064 Revolt of Roma in Bucharest] , Dzeno

References