Dog catchers attacked Romanian and German activists,
damaging their car
During the night from 15th of July, 2014, Romanian activists, including Claudiu Dimitriu, the president of the Romanian organisation 'Alliance to Fight Abuses' and who were accompanied by two people from Germany followed ASPA head, Razvan Bancescu, for more than one and half hour through Bucharest and who was again protected by the Police. This happened after they had visited a Bucharest shelter during the afternoon where they saw horrible images: dogs being left to die of hunger and dehydration as a result of the suspension of the the Methodological Norms for the implementation of the Killing Law (258/2013) which makes the killing of healthy animals illegal.
One of the German activists later stated that they had troubles staying behind Bancescu's car as he drove dangerously through the busy city, not even respecting the traffic lights.
Bancescu's irresponsible driving style is nothing new. This apparent lack of control appears to be consistent with his actions during the night of 8th of July, 2014 when he had caused a traffic accident - apparently intentionally - while cutting in front off a car from the Bucharest Team that followed the dog catchers to document their nightly illegal actions, resulting in the injury to three people who had to be taken to hospital. Bancescu's inability to control his aggression was captured on video, where he violently attacked by-standers, including an attempt to knock out a woman.
In the next video, you can hear one of the German activists, who is also a National Executive Member of the German Animal party, 'Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz' describing the attack (starting at 4:40) and stating that:
"while they stopped their car, six people belonging to ASPA, came to their car, jumped on the hood and tried, with their fists and elbows, to break the windscreen which shattered all over his feet and that they hit him in the face, twice, and very brutally".
Post by Luminita Streinu. |
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
-John F. Kennedy -
Whilst OFA in no way supports, accepts, or condones any acts of aggression against persons or property, we must say that it becomes increasingly difficult for the activists to exercise self-restraint when confronted with officialdom which acts illegally, immorally, and even violently and which fails to recognize the demands of the population which it claims to represent.
In Romania there is an empty space, a place where a concept should live... This absent concept is called "democracy" which by definition is the voice of the people being heard. The cohesiveness of a democratic society relies on order of law.
How rotten then is a society where authorities disregard laws and court orders, where the police not only watch dog catchers stealing dogs from people's yard but even protect them, and where those who try to protect the population from their illegal actions, will not only be blocked from doing so but even risk to be prosecuted, and as seen in the latest events, are even being violently attacked?
Such events represent an inverse image of a civilized society by creating a society where enactment of law is sought by the population but ill-enacted by those who are supposed to enforce the laws. The discontent of the population will inevitably increase in response to such authority ineptitude and ignorance of the voice of the people. History has written the lessons...
A Romanian expat and member of our Facebook page summarized the situation with the following comment:
"At this point, Romanian citizens who don't agree with abuses, terror, massacre of innocent animals are totally disregarded, are discriminated; their rights are violated; their voice and pledges to a humane approach was ignored and mocked by the authorities. And this is happening since September 2013, when the slaughter law has been voted cowardly.
Now, these innocent animals, the stray dogs, have no guilt on being on the streets, was not their choice but some humans' choice. These dogs have no means to protect themselves and are killed brutally everyday (on streets or in public shelters); who will hear their voices, their pain, their cry for help?
The populace (adults and children) were exposed daily to this war imposed by the Romanian authorities and supported cowardly by the EU authorities.
Who in the right mind, with emotions, with respect for life and living beings would not go crazy after so many months of abuse and crime??
Now, are the Romanians..."yesterday" was another abused nation..."tomorrow" might be Germans or French or Italians... no one knows when the hell imposed by some politicians will strike or where it will strike. No one will be protected and anyone can be the future victim of such actions and systems created by politicians/authorities.
Therefore, people should not be blamed, the real guilty ones must be blamed: those who pushed people to the limit of the humanity. These people who protect life should be understood and find a legal way to be helped and protected. The chaos is the best friend of corrupted authorities. Romanians need help. Street dogs from Romania need help!"
In Romania there is an empty space, a place where a concept should live... This absent concept is called "democracy" which by definition is the voice of the people being heard. The cohesiveness of a democratic society relies on order of law.
How rotten then is a society where authorities disregard laws and court orders, where the police not only watch dog catchers stealing dogs from people's yard but even protect them, and where those who try to protect the population from their illegal actions, will not only be blocked from doing so but even risk to be prosecuted, and as seen in the latest events, are even being violently attacked?
Such events represent an inverse image of a civilized society by creating a society where enactment of law is sought by the population but ill-enacted by those who are supposed to enforce the laws. The discontent of the population will inevitably increase in response to such authority ineptitude and ignorance of the voice of the people. History has written the lessons...
A Romanian expat and member of our Facebook page summarized the situation with the following comment:
"At this point, Romanian citizens who don't agree with abuses, terror, massacre of innocent animals are totally disregarded, are discriminated; their rights are violated; their voice and pledges to a humane approach was ignored and mocked by the authorities. And this is happening since September 2013, when the slaughter law has been voted cowardly.
Now, these innocent animals, the stray dogs, have no guilt on being on the streets, was not their choice but some humans' choice. These dogs have no means to protect themselves and are killed brutally everyday (on streets or in public shelters); who will hear their voices, their pain, their cry for help?
The populace (adults and children) were exposed daily to this war imposed by the Romanian authorities and supported cowardly by the EU authorities.
Who in the right mind, with emotions, with respect for life and living beings would not go crazy after so many months of abuse and crime??
Now, are the Romanians..."yesterday" was another abused nation..."tomorrow" might be Germans or French or Italians... no one knows when the hell imposed by some politicians will strike or where it will strike. No one will be protected and anyone can be the future victim of such actions and systems created by politicians/authorities.
Therefore, people should not be blamed, the real guilty ones must be blamed: those who pushed people to the limit of the humanity. These people who protect life should be understood and find a legal way to be helped and protected. The chaos is the best friend of corrupted authorities. Romanians need help. Street dogs from Romania need help!"
History has told the Romanian people the futility of depending on their government for enforcement of law and moral order...
Occupy for Animals (Luxembourg and UK) together with Lawyers for Animals (UK) offer assistance and support to the attacked German and Romanian activists where conditions provide for a sold legal prosecution to be mounted. Such international dimensionalization would bring the matter closer to Brussels...
Occupy for Animals (Luxembourg and UK) together with Lawyers for Animals (UK) offer assistance and support to the attacked German and Romanian activists where conditions provide for a sold legal prosecution to be mounted. Such international dimensionalization would bring the matter closer to Brussels...