Anti-vaccination protest in Bucharest amid virus surge

(20 Mar 2021) Around a thousand anti-vaccine protesters took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday amid a surge of COVID-19 infections. The protesters were initially split across two separate groups, some who gathered in University Square and some in Victory Square — but both groups later converged outside Romania's parliament building. The largely mask-less crowds honked horns, waved national flags, and chanted messages such as "Block vaccination," and "Freedom." One placard read: "Parents, protect your children! Stop the fear!" The protests were part of a number of planned anti-vaccination demonstrations that have taken place in the East European country in recent weeks, a movement that is strongly backed by Romania's far-right AUR party and is heavily linked to nationalism. Health authorities said that a record number of patients were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), forcing officials to convene in the capital to try to find solutions to a potential shortage of ICU spaces. Over the past week Romania has been recording daily its highest numbers of COVID-19 infections in three months — around 6,000 new cases a day — signalling the arrival of a third wave of the virus. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...