Former head of central Moldova district urges citizens not to attend Ilan Shor's protest

The protest announced by Ilan Shor for August 16 will end in bloodshed. The former head of the central Orhei district on behalf of the Shor Party, Dinu Turcanu, has made statements to this effect. He urged citizens to be active, but to act ‘’by legal means.’’

In a video message, he warned that the demonstration announced on Saturday by Ilan Shor was compromised from the outset.

‘’The organizers of this protest have placed it in an illegal or, more precisely, criminal framework. Therefore, I don't quite understand the motivation of those who will come to the protest tomorrow, having been warned in every way about the persistent risks. Still, it is obvious that, besides provocations, which will result in bloodshed, these protests will lead to no good,’’ said Dinu Turcanu.

He called on the residents of Orhei district and the city not to participate in the protest action, in order to ‘’avoid falling into a trap.’’

‘’Certainly, the people of Orhei will be the most active. In recent years, while serving as district president, I had the opportunity to know each of those who showed civic activism, and now I want to send them a clear message - you have the right to protest, but as I've called you dozens of times to protests, now I ask you not to take this step. Remain as civically active, with integrity regarding the country's problems, but the current trap is ‘’cold-blooded’’ and does not justify the effort in any way,’’ said Dinu Turcanu.

He also sent a message to the residents of the Autonomous Territorial Unit (UTA) Gagauzia, urging them to express themselves ‘’only by legal means.’’

‘’I would like to send a message to the residents of UTA Gagauzia, as I suspect they will be in the majority here tomorrow, as they are the most upset. I warn you that this protest represents a path to an end, to bloody conflicts, which neither you nor our country deserves. We will fight, but by legal means,’’ added Dinu Turcanu.

The former head of Orhei district reiterated that it is very important for people to act within a legal and constitutional framework.

‘’All information I have access to shows that tomorrow's actions are intended as protests that will be bathed in blood. Therefore, we remain active, but at the same time, it is our duty that all actions fit within a legal and constitutional field,’’ explained Dinu Turcanu.

Throughout this week, the police have repeatedly urged citizens not to participate in the illegal protest organized by the Shor crime ring. Law enforcement bodies warn that participants in the demonstration can become ‘’part of committing crimes or offenses.’’ Thus, new methods of the criminal organization for registering protest participants have been established these days, in order  to allow transfers through PSB.

In the context, the head of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), Viorel Cernauteanu, said that individuals who accept monthly payments of 3,000 dollars for participating in a protest, with the setting of tents, will receive daily fines of 7,500 lei.

‘’People need to understand that dividing 3,000 dollars by 30 days equals 100 dollars a day. Thus, the citizen should see if a promised payment of 100 dollars a day will cover a daily fine of 7,500 lei for participating in a paid protest. That is the fine the person will receive daily, if attending these demonstrations. So, I don't know if the 3,000 dollars will compensate for the monthly sum of fines, which will reach 10 thousand dollars,’’ said Viorel Cernauteanu during a show on www.deschide.md.

Similarly, the IGP on August 12 requested that the mayor of Chisinau refuse to authorize the protest organized by Ilan Shor. Thus, the law-enforcers warned that the demonstration aims at ‘’destabilizing the social and political situation in  Moldova and cannot be considered a peaceful demonstration, but a tool of criminal influence.’’

At the same time, Marin Garaz, the head of the Chisinau municipal police department, proposed that the capital's city hall initiate the legal procedure to request the banning of protest actions organized by Ilan Shor in the city center, since ‘’the actions are organized by crime rings, in exchange for financial rewards, to trigger a breach of public order.’’

On the other hand, representatives of the capital's city hall mentioned that ‘’they will act in case other authorized institutions will provide additional evidence proving the risks of these events.’’

In recent days, Ilan Shor has repeatedly called on citizens to a protest, which is to be organized in the center of the capital and incited civil disobedience. He also promised participants a sum of 3,000 dollars to set up tents and continue protests day and night.