”Mineriada” – My story
“Mineriada” is the term used to name any of the six successive violent interventions of miners in Bucharest. The term is mostly used to refer to the most violent one, which occurred in Bucharest during the period June 13–15, 1990, by far the bloodiest and the one that has irreversibly changed the image of Romania.
At that time I was a correspondent for the AFP which had its headquarters at Intercontinental Hotel, where I have spent many nights “keeping close” to the marathon demonstration that began on April 22 and ended on June 13.
The Interest for Romania was huge.
In June 13 at 6 o’clock in the morning the police forces intervened and made the first arrests. The tents of the hunger-strikers were ripped up and destroyed. The square was deserted for a few hours, only the municipality cars sprinkled water and sanitation teams picked up the garbage. At 11:30 the madness began. The Architecture Institute was assaulted by groups of workers from the Bucharest’s industrial platforms. Manny hours of chaos, car fires and street violence followed. In the morning on day of 14th it seemed everything was over. At five o’clock in a terrifying rumble a hideous shadow approached in a crescendo tension. They were the first “army” of miners who occupied the University Square. I immediately got on the 1st floor on the circular balcony and started to photograph the assault. Miners were hitting everything that came out, men and women. At 8:30 the first images have already been sent.
The tally of the day was creepy. Several people were killed; even today their number is not well established. Several hundred people were injured and taken to different hospitals. Within hours, Bucharest was completely occupied and chaos descended on the streets. Opposition party headquarters were destroyed. Many intellectuals, people with beards or wearing fancy clothes were beaten and arrestees. The outcome was catastrophic externally and the side effects dissipated very slowly. Thousands of young people left the country. Romania was excluded from every international funding association. In the coming years, Romania became a member of NATO and the European Union. However, although 25 years have passed since the events, the “miners file” is far from complete. No one has not been sentenced yet.
”Mineriada” – My story
“Mineriada” is the term used to name any of the six successive violent interventions of miners in Bucharest. The term is mostly used to refer to the most violent one, which occurred in Bucharest during the period June 13–15, 1990, by far the bloodiest and the one that has irreversibly changed the image of Romania.
At that time I was a correspondent for the AFP which had its headquarters at Intercontinental Hotel, where I have spent many nights “keeping close” to the marathon demonstration that began on April 22 and ended on June 13.
The Interest for Romania was huge.
In June 13 at 6 o’clock in the morning the police forces intervened and made the first arrests. The tents of the hunger-strikers were ripped up and destroyed. The square was deserted for a few hours, only the municipality cars sprinkled water and sanitation teams picked up the garbage. At 11:30 the madness began. The Architecture Institute was assaulted by groups of workers from the Bucharest’s industrial platforms. Manny hours of chaos, car fires and street violence followed. In the morning on day of 14th it seemed everything was over. At five o’clock in a terrifying rumble a hideous shadow approached in a crescendo tension. They were the first “army” of miners who occupied the University Square. I immediately got on the 1st floor on the circular balcony and started to photograph the assault. Miners were hitting everything that came out, men and women. At 8:30 the first images have already been sent.
The tally of the day was creepy. Several people were killed; even today their number is not well established. Several hundred people were injured and taken to different hospitals. Within hours, Bucharest was completely occupied and chaos descended on the streets. Opposition party headquarters were destroyed. Many intellectuals, people with beards or wearing fancy clothes were beaten and arrestees. The outcome was catastrophic externally and the side effects dissipated very slowly. Thousands of young people left the country. Romania was excluded from every international funding association. In the coming years, Romania became a member of NATO and the European Union. However, although 25 years have passed since the events, the “miners file” is far from complete. No one has not been sentenced yet.
