Protesters chant slogans such as “thieves” and “traitors” against leftist government in Romania

Thousands of Romanians have hit the streets of the capital Bucharest to denounce the newly-elected government’s move to decriminalize certain cases of graft and abuse of power.
Angry protesters gathered outside government headquarters decrying authorities with slogans such as “thieves” and “traitors”. The newly-announced emergency law, which goes into effect immediately, decriminalizes graft offenses totaling less than 38-thousand euros. The legal changes were first introduced in early January, and Romanians then responded with massive protests. The changes mark the biggest backtracking on anti-corruption reforms since Romania joined the European Union a decade ago. Romania is said to be one of the most corrupt European countries. More than two-thousand officials have been charged with abuse of power over the past three years.