Thousands of Romanians rallied in Bucharest on Saturday to demand the release of politician Călin Georgescu and voice support for George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians.
The protest began in Izvor Park near the Parliament building. Later, several thousand demonstrators marched to the Central Arrest facility on Bulevardul Unirii, where Georgescu is detained. Police imposed traffic restrictions on Bulevardul Unirii and nearby streets, lifting them by Saturday evening. George Simion addressed the crowd from a stage. He denied that his party organized the event, saying AUR had responded to "a call from our brothers." The demonstration was not authorized by the Bucharest City Hall.
Protesters chanted "Căline, Căline, the people are with you!" as they marched. Some shouted "Nicușor, dictator!" and "Georgescu president." They also called out the name of U.S. Vice President JD Vance. AUR later described the gathering as dedicated to defending democracy and freedom of expression. Participants carried tricolor flags and came from Bucharest and other counties.
Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu said three permit requests were rejected for public safety reasons. He cited the Romania-Poland football match held the same day. The Bucharest Court rejected a request to annul the negative authorization on Friday. Gendarmes formed a cordon around the Central Arrest building. During the protest, they immobilized two people. A SMURD medical crew treated another participant. Interior Minister Marian Neacșu later said the demonstration ended without incidents affecting public safety. He added that "Romanians gave a lesson of civilization and respect for democracy."
Estimates of attendance varied. Digi24 reported several thousand participants. AUR claimed approximately 15,000 people attended. Simion had predicted 30,000 to 40,000. Some protesters told HotNews they arrived on buses brought by AUR. Political scientist Cristian Pîrvulescu said AUR had brought people from across the country by bus. By evening, only a few hundred remained outside the Central Arrest in temperatures of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Georgescu, a former presidential candidate in 2024, is in pre-trial detention. Prosecutors from DIICOT charged him with forming an organized criminal group and fraud causing damages exceeding €1.1 million. He benefits from the presumption of innocence.
Ioan Mihăilescu, 66, from Pitești, called Georgescu a political prisoner. "I consider him innocent," he said. "The files made against him are fabricated." Pîrvulescu said the protest had an anti-state and unconstitutional character. Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta wrote that "political files are a cancer."
