Protests in Romania, Thousands in Support of Magistrates' Independence

Protesters have thrown eggs today at the Justice Ministry building in Bucharest, Agerpres news agency reported. The protest is about the latest changes in the laws of the judiciary.

The gendarmerie reported that four people had been fined a total of 5,000 lei (2055 leva) for "disrupting public peace, throwing objects that polluted, and setting up a group for action against public order."

Last week, seven people were taken to the police after throwing stones and paint on the Justice Ministry building, the agency recalls.

Romanians from all over the country went to the streets to support magistrates, says the Ziarar news site on the protest last night in Bucharest and other major cities in the country. After Friday's magistrates organized an unprecedented protest to reject abuses in two government-approved decrees, Romanians joined them on Sunday evening.

In Bucharest, Cluj, Sibiu, Yas, Arad, Buzau and Timisoara, thousands chanted messages in support of magistrates, whose independence is jeopardized by the decrees made by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, Ziarere said.