CHISINAU, February 28. /TASS/. Anti-government demonstrators in Chisinau have called on the authorities not to drag Moldova into the military conflict in Ukraine.
Protesters brought signs with white doves and chanted "Moldova without war!," "No spending on weapons!" and other anti-war slogans.
"We don't want war, we don't want to be dragged into the conflict [in Ukraine]. And we have gathered today to ask the government what they are planning in this direction and give them the opinion of the people," one of the leaders of the opposition ‘National Movement for People’ Marina Tauber said, according to a TASS correspondent reporting from the scene.
As it was earlier reported, the opposition is holding a mass protest in Chisinau on Tuesday, demanding that the government compensate the population for gas, electricity and heating bills. Thousands of people are marching from the Academy of Sciences on Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Boulevard to the center of Chisinau, where the rally is scheduled to take place, with additional groups of people joining them on the way. Despite the authorities' ban on holding rallies in the center of the capital, the police have not yet prevented demonstrators from doing so.
Today, the Chisinau Mayor's Office imposed a ban on rallies in the center of the capital because of the visit of a foreign delegation. It will be in effect until March 2. Protests began in Moldova last summer and took place in different regions of the country. Demonstrators blame authorities for being unable to cope with rising prices, as well for the record inflation rate of 30% by 2022. Last year, similar rallies in Chisinau ended in clashes with the police, who did not allow demonstrators into the center of Chisinau. In October, the police violently dispersed a tent camp that was deployed in the square between the parliament and the presidential administration buildings. Natalia Gavrilita resigned as prime minister in February against the background of the unrest.