FAKE NEWS: In the Republic of Moldova, protests are banned on workdays

In the Republic of Moldova, protests are banned on workdays, and on non-working days they can last only four hours, according to a false narrative published by rubaltic.ru. In reality, only the ban on blocking the streets was imposed, after protesters organized by the party of the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor set up tents on Chisinau's main thoroughfare, causing traffic jams.NEWS: “The Commission for Exceptional Situations of the Republic of Moldova has banned the organization of protest actions on workdays. On non-working days, the duration of such protests cannot exceed four hours. Also, on working days, protesters shall not block transport arteries and access to public institutions”.NARRATIVE: The pro-European government in Chisinau has turned into an authoritarian regime that bans anti-government protestsLOCAL CONTEXT/ ETHOS: Protest actions organized by the Shor Party, led by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, convicted in the first instance for the bank robbery of approximately one billion dollars in 2014, have been held in Chisinau for a month.  The protests are taking place against the background of a deep economic and social crisis caused by inflation and the war in Ukraine.

Demonstrators set up tents in the center of Chisinau, and on October 9 they blocked the Ștefan cel Mare boulevard, the city's main thoroughfare, snarling traffic and causing traffic jams on Monday morning, until the police removed the tents. Later the police announced that they’d found prohibited items in the tents.

PURPOSE: To present the pro-European government in Chisinau as authoritarian and anti-democratic.

WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Authorities did not ban protests on weekdays, as the Russian publication writes, only the blocking of streets on working days. “The holding of meetings with the blocking of traffic lanes, transport arteries or access and evacuation routes to public institutions will be prohibited on working days. On days off, these meetings can be held for a maximum of four hours”, according to the CES decision.

Mention should be made of the fact that a state of emergency was decreed in the Republic of Moldova as a result of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis caused by it, a measure which is still in place, following several extensions. Protests are prohibited during the state of emergency. Some political scientists recommended that the government make use of this provision, but representatives of the executive stated that they would allow peaceful protests to take place.

GRAIN OF TRUTH: After the demonstrators of the Shor Party blocked Ștefan cel Mare boulevard in Chisinau, the Commission for Exceptional Situations indeed imposed certain bans related to the organization of protests.