Issue and Opponent: In December 2016, the country’s general elections were won with an overwhelming majority by the Social Democratic Party. The PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Alianța Liberalilor și Democraților, ALDE) formed a center-left government, headed by Sorin Grindeanu. Shortly after the government was formed, the Ministry of Justice unexpectedly passed an ordinance bill (Government Ordinance 13) decriminalizing government corruption and abuse of office below a certain threshold.
Dilemma Action: In the mornings, Romanians would hold protests called ‘Protests of the Innocent.’ The name was attributed to the fact people would bring their children and their dogs. The government responded to the protests by downplaying the number of protesters, urging supporters of the ruling PSD party to set-up counter-protests, and accusing the protestors of receiving funding from people like George Soros. The idea that people were being paid to bring their dogs and children to protest was seen as absurd by many Romanians and exposed the high levels of government propaganda. The protestors ultimately retaliated against the government’s disproportionate response by giving dogs and children signs that said things like “Soros, where is my money?”
Outcomes: The humor and innocence of the protests, coupled with the government’s excessive response to protests that involved children and dogs, meant that it received a lot of media coverage and succeeded in increasing protest numbers and spreading the message of the protestors internationally. The Protests of the Innocent also disrupted the dominant narrative set by the government because it took officials by surprise.