18 years have elapsed since the start of the marathon protests in the University Square, Bucharest, put to an end by the FSN (Front for National Salvation) government during the coal miners' attacks in June 13-15, 1990. Never before had there been such violence as the one brought to Bucharest by the Ion Iliescu-Petre Roman couple. The gangs of unbound miners, packed by what the state of Romania was at that time. They assaulted the city like some Barbarians and they beat, robbed and killed men, elderly people, women and children. The operation mobilized illimited resources. State institutions collaborated better than in the recent NATO summit in Bucharest to carry out a monstruous affair coordinated by the FSN. The agents of the Securitate (Communist Secret Service in Romania) summoned and guided the miners, the National Rails carried them by trains, the policemen assisted them when they were mauling people and they arrested the beaten. The military put the victims in prisons, the prosecutors investigated on the victims brutally and the only TV station lied to a whole nation. Why were all these needed? The demonstrators in the University Square were asking for reasonable things: the FSN not to confiscate the 1989 Revolution, the Secutitate and the activists in the PCR (Romanian Communist Party) not to rule Romania, those guilty for the people killed in December 1989 to be charged. They also wanted market economy and guarantee for property. In brief, they wanted the rule of law. What did the FSN want? The very opposite of it, at least at first, until they grabbed political power and economy. Then they were to think about what to do next! No matter how much they liked the regime in power till 1989, the Communists disliked something: they couldn't get rich. The revolution got them rid of Nicolae Ceausescu, giving them opportunities typical of an amiable Gorbachevism. At that time most of the people, victims of 45 years of communism, feared a substantial change and they were satisfied if getting a little food and some heat in their homes. Is there anyone who hasn't heard an opinion such as "Had he given some food, Ceausescu would have been alive now"? This way the group interests of those taking advantage of the communist regime got to face the fears of a considerable part of the nation. The University Square demonstrators turned into personal enemies for the FSN officials and into "enemies of the nation" itself. The nation was packed against the demonstrators by any means: diversion, lies and manipulation of the communist kind, culminating in the order for the miners to go to Bucharest and take their sticks with them. This description is also meant for those who were too young at that time. Only those who could see with their own eyes or feel on their own skin what the presence of the miners in Bucharest meant can truly understand the monstruosity in June 13-15, 1990. This is the original sin of the FSN to mar Romania as long as the guilty are not charged. Since the state of Romania does not take responsibility for this Barbaric assault, sentencing the instigators and the doers, then the state of Romania consents to such action. Almost 18 years have passed since then. Except for some 2-3 poor miners, no one has been sued. How many of the claims expressed in the University Square have been met? Who has deadlocked the criminal cases on the 1989 Revolution and the coal miners' attacks and the ex Securitate records? The same people who summoned the miners to Bucharest and who were their moral accomplices, that is the FSM officials. Where are they now? Everywhere! In very influent key posts. Let's list the most visible ones. Here is Adriean Videanu, at that time the youngest FSN member, now a general mayor of Bucharest and a vice president of the PD-L (Democrat-Liberal Party). Here is Traian Basescu, a President of Romania. Here is technocrat Theodor Stolojan, a supporter of Ion IIiescu's, welcomed first to the PNL (National Liberal Party) and then to the PD-L. Here is Teodor Melescanu, the one who chased King Mihai on the higway, now a vice president of the PNL, a party keener and keener on monarchy. I won't insist on the Social-Democrat gang emerging from the FSN core. This gang is topped by the dreadful Ion Iliescu and Adrian Nastase, as well as by Razvan Theodorescu, a president of the Public Television in 1990. But I am also reminding you about Andrei Plesu, a minister of culture when the coal miners' attacks occured, a minister who didn't feel like resigning, but who is now preaching on us. Petre Roman, the ex PM of the miners' attacks, is preaching too and nowadays he is very concerned about the Romanian retired. And so on and so forth! Where are the prosecutors, the Securitate staff, the militiamen and all the other accomplices of this Barbaric action? Romania is in the European Union only theoretically, since there is no lawsuit on the coal miners' attacks. Romania is not in the European Union. Romania is nowhere.

Rasvan MOLDOVEANU