Within days, the Romanian 1989 uprising turned out to be a much more serious protest against Communism itself, not only against Ceausescu’s dictatorship.

A clear-cut recorded moment was in the evening of December 22nd, six hours after Ceaușescu fled. When Ion Iliescu told the hundreds of thousands of protesters in the streets that a “Salvation Front” would organize the new political power structure, the reply of the ordinary people was clearly radical: ”Without Communists!”

When he asked them to allow the new ”Salvation Front” to organize itself, they replied: “We do not leave!”

They instinctively understood that their revolt was in danger to be hijacked. Unfortunately, within dozens of minutes from this moment, they had to leave the Palace Plaza when indiscriminate gun fires of the “terrorists” started to rage.

Ion Iliescu: Our goal is to establish a new structure of political power.
The old structures – The Party, the government and so on – are practically dissolved.

The crowd: No more communists!

Ion Iliescu: So, I thank you, please allow us to organize ourselves.

Te crowd: We do not leave!