"We Won’t Go Home until We’ll Find a Solution"

They started timidly on Saturday and yesterday it started to spread. The public demonstrations of solidarity with the journalists kidnapped in Iraq are the first which the journalists faces.

HOPES. Marie-Jeanne Ion’s Mother, Sorin Miscoci’s parents and Ovidiu Ohanesian’s sister (from left to right) have protested in the University Plaza yesterday.

Several TV stations launched calls of solidarity of the journalists during their news. It was Saturday, the only free-of-work day for the press, and the news didn’t get to all the editorial offices in time. However, several journalists gathered at noon in the University Plaza, quietly demonstrating for the freeing of their three colleagues - Marie-Jeanne Ion, Sorin Miscoci and Ovidiu Ohanesian - kidnapped in Iraq almost one month ago. A blunt journalistic solidarity, darkened by the scenarios that appeared regarding this kidnapping and a first wake-up call: someone gave an ultimatum to Romania. Four days for withdrawing their troops from Iraq or the lives of the journalists!

SECOND DAY

Yesterday, due to a more active presentation, most of the members of the central press gathered in the Capital of the country for a quiet meeting. For 45 minutes the journalists in the editorial office of Jurnalul National, led by their director, Marius Tuca, were close to the families of the hostages, to their colleagues, to representatives of the Arabian community in Romania or ordinary citizens passing by, in order to show they care. No cries, no agitation, and the participants didn’t go over a few hundreds, together with the "intruders", which shows clearly what solidarity means for the Romanians.

"INTRUDERS"

An old man with a megaphone was sitting quietly, without using it at least once. The usual boozers from the fountain near the university weren’t there, and the florists were subtly watching. At a moment, Cristian Popescu, also known as Piedone, appeared among the poster carriers. A representative group for the Arabians in Romania, including the Syrian-Romanian negotiator sent to Baghdad, Mohamad Yassin, came to the University Plaza to show his solidarity to the Romanians. This is a symbolical gesture, which only few looked at with the suspicion of the last days that we all think about. Among the crowd, like "details" lost in the background, some people were wiping their tears. They were the parents of the three kidnapped journalists, crushed by the waiting and by terror. Unfortunately, the public demonstrations in the University Plaza with the purpose of freeing our three colleagues have proved once again that the Romanian journalists cannot act as an entity. The people working in the media institutions in Bucharest sum a few thousands. Yesterday, there were only 200 or 300. This might also be because, after "15 years of free press", we managed, in the well-known Romanian style, to discredit the idea of unity. If the terror of death threats doesn’t get us out in the streets, what will? However, the people who understood to make at least this symbolical gesture, will be in the Plaza today and tomorrow as well, and as long as it would take to free our three colleagues.