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Russia Today
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Thousands march against pro-EU government in Moldova (VIDEO)
Opposition supporters have marched in Chisinau to protest Moldova's pro-EU government under President Maia Sandu. The rally, organized by the country's largest opposition group, coincided with International Labor Day, celebrated on May 1. According to the organizers – the Party of Socialists led by former President Igor Dodon – around 10,000 people took part in the march on Thursday. Demonstrators carried Moldovan and Socialist Party flags, banners with Soviet-era symbols, and posters with slogans against 'social genocide.' They also chanted in support of Moldova's sovereignty and a future free from foreign interference. In a promotional video ahead of the march, the organizers criticized the government for rising prices, mass emigration, and the loss of sovereignty, blaming foreign influence for the country's deepening problems. 'We will gather in Chisinau to remember that Moldova belongs to its people. This march is the beginning of our struggle for sovereignty, for neutrality, for national interests,' the Party of Socialists said in the message. Addressing the crowd, Dodon called the rally the 'informal start' of his party's parliamentary election campaign. An election is expected to take place in September. Dodon said the march was organized not only to celebrate Labor Day, but also to protest the country's political and economic direction. 'Moldova is going through difficult times. The country is sinking deeper into debt, people are becoming poor, young people are leaving en masse, and national wealth is being destroyed,' he stated. 'The current government has turned our homeland into a bargaining chip in other people's games and is dragging Moldova towards war. We say enough is enough!' Media reports suggest that the march remained peaceful, with no incidents or clashes. Moldova, a former Soviet republic wedged between Romania and Ukraine, has pushed for EU and NATO membership since 2020, when Sandu, a pro-Western leader and critic of Russia, came to power. One of Europe's poorest countries, Moldova has seen persistent accusations from Sandu's opponents, who claim her administration has caused economic and energy crises. Sandu was reelected last year, but her runoff win remains a point of contention. The Party of Socialists has opposed Sandu's reelection and refused to recognize her victory in last year's runoff. Last month, the party also accused her administration of 'an unprecedented act of spiritual terror' after a senior Moldovan Orthodox Church bishop was barred from traveling to Jerusalem for an Easter ritual.
Russia Today
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moldova's detention of bishop on Easter ritual an ‘act of terror' – ex-president
Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon has denounced the government of his successor Maia Sandu over its decision to detain a Russian Orthodox bishop who was undertaking an Easter visit to Jerusalem. Bishop Marchel, a senior cleric with the Moldovan Orthodox Church, was scheduled to attend the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and return with candles consecrated in the flame. However, he told TASS on Thursday that Moldovan police had stopped him and two clerics at the airport, subjected them to searches, and held them until 30 minutes after their plane had departed. Dodon, who also leads the opposition Party of Socialists, called the move 'an act of terror' against Moldova's Orthodox community. 'What happened yesterday is an egregious incident... There has never been a case in the modern history of Moldova when a bishop was blocked from flying to Jerusalem to bring back the Holy Fire,' Dodon said in a video posted on his Instagram account. 'It is an act of terror against our Orthodox faith, against all Orthodox believers in our country,' he continued. 'Maia Sandu and her government should remember that God does not strike with a stick. They must stop this pressure on the Church.' Dodon suggested the incident may also have been an 'act of personal revenge' against Bishop Marchel, a known critic of Sandu's administration. More than 90% of Moldovans identify as Orthodox Christians. The country is home to two major Orthodox confessions: the Moldovan Orthodox Church, under the Moscow Patriarchate, and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, aligned with the Romanian Orthodox Church. Relations between the two have been fraught for years, but the situation has worsened amid Sandu's ardent pro-EU stance and her vocal criticism of Moscow. Dodon has previously accused the government of attempting to pressure the Moldovan Orthodox Church into shifting its allegiance to Romania. In his latest remarks, he urged authorities to cease interfering in religious matters. 'Do not interfere in the Church. Do not divide the Church,' he said. 'Over 90% of the people in this country are Orthodox Christians, and with your actions yesterday, you have defied all of them. May the Lord forgive you, for you do not know what you are doing,' he added, quoting the Bible. Dodon's party also issued a statement calling the incident 'a crime' against the Moldovan people and 'an encroachment on the foundations of Moldovan statehood.' The Russian Orthodox Church denounced the episode as 'outrageous' and politically motivated.
