Children and Public Street Protestings – a Public Debate of Striking Immediacy in Romania. The Social media and the Mass-media as main vectors to shape up the dominant threads of opinion
The recent street events in Romania have ignited a public debate on the topic of children’s participation in the street protestings. The mass-media as well as thesocial mediahave generated and fueled two diverging streams of opinion: a domineeringone, maintaining that the children’s presence to such actions is nothing but a genuine practical application of democracy, and a second trend, represented in contrast by a minority claiming that children and infants fetched by their parents to the site of street demonstrations have a potential of becoming victims of political manipulation, being even exposed to risks of possible violence, even in cases of peaceful protesting. In the middle between these seemingly irreconcillable positions stand the experts, who in an attempt to display balanced views, discuss both risks and benefits, ultimately leaving it to the parents’ decision whether or not to take their children with them for the street demonstrations they wish to be part of.
Keywords: protests, children #rezist, Romania, social media, mass-media
1. On February 5th, 2017 approximately 500,000 people went out onto the streets, “250.000 Bucharesters and other 250,000 Romanians”, according to mass-media estimations (other trusts estimated 600,000); one has spoken about an “historical protest”. See http://www.hotnews.ro/stiriesential-21586479-duminica-ziua-care-este-anuntat-celmai-mare-protest-impotriva-ordonantei-13.htm, accessed 10.02.12017.
2. OUG 13/2017 Government Order to the modification and completion of Law nr. 286/2009 regarding the Criminal Code and of the Law nr. 135/2010 regarding the Code of Criminal Procedure, published in M. Of. nr. 92 from 1 February 2017 and later abolished through OUG 14/2017, published in M. Of. nr. 101 from 5 February 2017, among others, attempts at modifying the nature of the crime of „abuse in service”, establishing that crimes of abuse where the damage does not exceed an arbitrarily settled limit of 200,000 lei will not fall under an accusation for criminal offense.
3. The monitoring performed bywww.zelist.ro over the time of protestings reveals that the three networks have been used within similar percentage, even if the biggest impct was recorded on Fb.
4. In order to have a general view of the protests and their media coverage we consider the documentary made by Digi24 towards the outset of events to be relevant. This documentary can be found at: http://www.digi24. ro/stiri/actualitate/evenimente/documentar-digi24romania-la-protest-povestea-celei-mai-ample-mobilizaricivice-671658, accesat la: 18.02.2017.
5. Alexandru Panait, http://www.curentul.info/politic/ 16663-surse-firea-ar-vrea-amendarea-celor-care-si-au-luatcopiii-la-marsul-anti-gratiere-cu-amenda-intre-5-000-si10-000-de-lei, accessed on 14.02.2017.
6. Legea privind protecţia și promovarea drepturilor copilului [Law for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Children ] 272/2004, article 27, para (4), republished in M. Of. nr. 159 from 5 March 2014.
7. The Digi24 studio, http://www.digi24.ro/stiri/ actualitate/social/cu-copiii-la-protest-specialistii-careo-contrazic-pe-olguta-vasilescu-671186, accessed on 14.02.2017.
8. UNICEF România, http://www.unicef.ro/media/ participarea-copiilor-la-manifestatii-pasnice/, accessed on 16.02.201.
9. Viorela Marin, http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential21613495-autoritatea-pentru-protectia-copilului-primit25-sesizari-privind-prezenta-copiilor-proteste-olgutavasilescu-spune-fost-depuse-doua-sesizari-numele-lui-nicusor-dan.htm., accessed on 17.02.2017.
10 Mircea Badea, on the TV show În gura presei [Gossip in the Press], edition from 15.02.2017.
11. http://www.humanium.org/en/convention/text/
12. Agerpres, http://www.agerpres.ro/politica/2017/02/07/ iohannis-felicit-parintii-care-si-au-dus-copiii-in-piatavictoriei-sa-pastram-democratia-vie-12-38-35, accessed on 15.02.2017.
13. B. Halcu, A. Lisievici, A. Stan, Dreptul la imagine în contextul distribuirii fotografiilor pe reţelele de socializare [TheRightovertheImage in theContext of PhotoSharingonthe Social Networks], Revista Română de Drept a Afacerilor, nr. 11/2014.
14. IoanaAvădani, 4.02.2017, message taken from the Fb page
15. Brândușa Armanca, 5.02.2017, message taken from the Fb page.
16. Sidonia Bogdan, 9.02.2017,message taken from the Fb pge.
17. Dan Tăpălagă, “Ce nu se prea zice despre aceste proteste”[What Is Not So Outspoken about these Protests], 20.01.2012,http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-opinii11283116-nu-prea-zice-despre-aceste-proteste.htm, accessed on 15.02.2017.
18. http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-opinii-21551169-vazutproteste-imagine-emblematica.htm
19. Dragoș Bako, “Schimbzâmbet de copil cu problem de adult”[Swapping a Child’s Smile for Problems of an Adult]în, http://www.tribuna.ro/stiri/editorialul-zilei/ schimb-zambet-de-copil-cu-probleme-de-adult-platescdiferenta-123283.html, accessed on 12.02.2017
20. MirceaBadea, on the TV show Îngurapresei[Gossip in the Press], edition of 15.02.2017.
21. Viewpoint obtained through electronic correspondence, with quoting rights on13.09.2017
22. Ana Maria Florea Harriosn, interview with psychologist Geta Costescu, 8.02.2017, available at http://www.rfi. ro/social-92972-copiii-pot-merge-la-protest-sau-nuraspunsul-psihologului
23. Viewpoint obtained through electronic correspondence, on14.02.2017.
24.http://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/social/cucopiii/-la-protest-specialistii-care-o-contrazic-pe-olgutavasilescu-671186 25. Barry Percy-Smith and Nigel Thomas (editors), 2010, A Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation, Routledge, pp.18-21
