Protester hurls himself from balcony before shocked MPs

A man protesting at spending cuts in Romania hurled himself from a balcony at the Romanian parliament chamber while MPs watched in shock.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Dec 2010, 22:16 BST
Updated 23rd Dec 2010, 22:16 BST

The session was suspended and a no-confidence vote, over a public wage law, was postponed as officials rushed to aid the man who was not seriously injured.

A loud thud reverberated in the chamber after Adrian Sobaru – a public television station engineer – hit the benches shortly after Prime Minister Emil Boc greeted the MPs. No one else was injured.

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Mr Boc looked startled and rushed over to Sobaru, with other MPs, before Speaker Mircea Geoana suspended the session.

Romania's government is mired in recession and it recently slashed public sector wages by one-fourth.

Photos show Sobaru standing on a balcony about seven metres (23 ft) above where MPs were sitting. He was wearing a white T-shirt, with the words "You've pierced us. You've killed our children's future. Freedom".

The first line was a reference to President Traian Basescu, who upon winning the presidential race in 2009 said "I've pierced them," using a well-known line from a Romanian film.

Related topics:MPs