Chisinau Mayor concerned over Balti events

After the violent incidents in Balti, Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca is concerned that similar events could happen in the capital as well. The Mayor claimed that “well-organized groups” were behind the events in Balti which could have interests in Chisinau too, and instructed his staff to evaluate the situation in the city to prevent such threats. Dorin Chirtoaca said that judging by the Balti march's footage alone, things appear to be more than alarming. He went on to add that the incidents had a xenophobic nature and that the public figures attending should share part of the blame for fomenting the incidents. “I saw there several public figures; worse, one member of the Cabinet, and I mean Mr. Formuzal, who was carrying a bullhorn to instigate violence, and I expect another member of the Cabinet, that is, Mr. Recean, to respond properly. Besides, there were Shelin, Tkachuk, Stepaniuk and others, who were chanting and yelling 'Moldova' there, except that they carried Russian, bicolor or whatever other flags, but not our tricolors. They are speaking of Moldova while they are seeking to subdue it. It's not unification that bothers them, it's what country they think Moldova should unify with. Shelin, who was there yelling his lungs out of that bullhorn, didn't seem to care about Moldova's statehood at all when he tried to get Moldova into a Russia-centered union”, declared the Mayor. Chirtoaca added he feared that what happened in Balti could represent preparations for similar incidents in Chisinau. Participants in a procession for unification with Romania which was staged on Sunday in Balti were met by counter-demonstrators, mostly residents of the city and members of political parties and organizations describing themselves as “patriotic” and “statalist”. Some of them threw stones at the marchers and at least two persons were injured. Even if significant numbers of policemen were involved, the organizers were forced to stop the authorized demonstration.