Elderly lying on the Government's stairs, their faces bleeding and brutalized by the police. This is the result of an attempt of many members of the “Salvgardare” NGO, and ordinary retired, to siege the Government's building in Chisinau. Some 150 elderly gathered on the Great National Assembly Square on Tuesday to protest again against miserable pensions, soaring prices and day-to-day hardships, Info-Prim Neo reports.

“Armed” with loudspeakers, on an improvised floor right in front on the Government's quarters, the meeting participants complain they are forgotten by authorities, while their 600-lei pension is hardly enough to buy bread. Separated in two camps: one criticizing the current government, and the other -- the Chisinau City Hall, the elderly were whistling and making noise, chanting anti-government slogans. Some of them carried posters reading: “Workers, unemployed, youth, unite,” “Government = Creditors Council, No to bankruptcy, Termocom – criminal, to be sued”, “We are not hostages of corruption” and in Russian “We are persecuted for defending our rights”.

Salvgardare's president, Maia Laguta, assumes all the responsibility for the event and ultimately demands premier Zinaida Greceanai to approach them in at least 30 minutes, menacing with “tough responses” in case of refusal, not specifying, however. They have not waited for long and headed to the central doors of the Government's building. 10 policemen failed to resist the pressure, and the retired managed to break the live fence, chanting “Down with the Government!” They wanted to penetrate the building.

There they were met by a more police and persons in civil clothes who pushed them, as some elderly were noticed to fall on the stairs, bleeding and calling for help. No ambulance was near however, as it should. The pensioners we re helped to stand up by colleagues and journalists.

Asked by Info-Prim Neo, the head of the municipal police, Iacob Gumenita, has said the police acted strictly according to the law. “The police conscientiously carried out their duties and protected the Government's quarters from the raging pensioners,” he said .

When disseminating this news, the pensioners were to form an initiative group to meet the Prime-Minister.

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Elderly to learn if they get larger pensions by end of week

Chisinau (IPN) The elderly will learn by the end of the week, if their pensions are going to be raised. This and other claims are contained in a notification for the government submitted several weeks ago by the Salvgardare NGOs. On Tuesday, after a failed attempt of pensioners to siege the Government's headquarters, the head of the Government's Apparatus, Mihai Pop, promised to give them an official answer in several days.

“We have nothing to discuss with Mihai Pop. He knew nothing about the notification we submitted,” Salvgardare president Maia Laguta has told Info-Prim Neo. According to her, the elderly will be waiting for the promised answer, and then will decide what to do, depending on the answer they get.

Maia Laguta says the notification for the Government provides for raising salaries and pensions, for liquidating discriminatory attitudes as to some retired. According to her, they want all the elderly to get the same pensions, re gardless of the year they retired. The last wish of the ones from Salvgardare is to be offered an hour on the national TV to organize a dialog between elderly and authorities to discuss the existent problems.

Tuesday morning, some 150 elderly “armed” with loud-speakers complained they were forgotten by authorities, in front of the Government's building, as their pension of 600 lei is hardly enough to buy bread.

The protesters headed for the central doors of the Government's building. 10 policemen failed to resist the pressure, and the retired managed to break the live fence, chanting “Down with the Government!” They wanted to penetrate the building. There they were met by more police and persons in civil clothes who pushed them, as some elderly were noticed to fall on the stairs, bleeding and calling for help.