{"id":4293,"date":"2017-03-25T21:09:12","date_gmt":"2017-03-25T21:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/?p=4293"},"modified":"2017-04-06T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2017-04-06T17:00:06","slug":"mars-b-o-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/2017\/03\/25\/mars-b-o-r\/","title":{"rendered":"Get lost, B.O.R.! – A brief personal account on what happened at the anti-abortion march organized by the Orthodox Romanian Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

On March 24<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup>, 2017, on a F<\/span>riday night<\/span>,<\/span> I <\/span>was talking<\/span> to my comrade and we <\/span>both got<\/span> angry at the anti-abortion <\/span>rally<\/span> which had been <\/span>authorized <\/span>by the City Hall, and was to take place<\/span> the next day, at noon. It\u2019s the first time that the Orthodox <\/span>Romanian<\/span> Church (<\/span>ORC or <\/span>BOR \u2013 <\/span>the Romanian acronym \u2013 <\/span>as it will be called from now on in this text<\/span>) itself takes <\/span>the official<\/span> initiative to organize an anti-abortion march. Not Provita, not <\/span>some <\/span>other \u201c<\/span>pro<\/span> life\u201d NGO, but <\/span>BOR<\/span> itself, as an institution. This happens <\/span>right<\/span> after the Coalition for The Family gathered 3 million signatures on a petition to change the definition of marriage in the <\/span>Romanian <\/span>Constitution \u2013 thus to specifically stipulate that a family is based on the union between \u201ca man and a woman\u201d. My existence and my comrades\u2019 existence, as queer women, becomes more and more undesirable in this society <\/span>whose<\/span> progressive leaning towards the right, <\/span>is <\/span>doubled by the global<\/span> fascist radicalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"borIn the evening we <\/span>went to get something to eat<\/span>. In the bus, two men aggressively ask<\/span>ed<\/span> me whether I <\/span>was<\/span> a boy or a girl. Even though I\u2019m used to such remarks, each time <\/span>they leave me<\/span> a bit puzzled, wondering how could anyone <\/span>feel entitled<\/span> to approach an unknown person in the bus and ask her\/him: \u201cWhat the hell are you? Boy or girl? Or fag?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Later in the evening, we discuss<\/span>ed<\/span> what to do about the anti-abortion march. Going there <\/span>and holding<\/span> banners <\/span>with opposing messages<\/span> d<\/span>idn<\/span>\u2019t seem <\/span>like <\/span>a good idea, as we <\/span>were<\/span> only a few people and it could be<\/span>come<\/span> dangerous. <\/span>So w<\/span>e decide<\/span>d<\/span> to <\/span>write our messages<\/span> on the asphalt and on the walls along the route of the march. <\/span><\/p>\n

It <\/span>was<\/span> 3 a.m. and we c<\/span>ouldn\u2019t<\/span> find paint anywhere. <\/span>So w<\/span>e end<\/span>ed<\/span> up buying some shoe-spray from a supermarket and, surprisingly, it work<\/span>ed<\/span>. When we arrive<\/span>d<\/span> on Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, we <\/span>were<\/span> glad to see that other groups ha<\/span>d<\/span> already been there <\/span>and written<\/span> messages. <\/span>As I was writing<\/span>, my friend <\/span>was guarding<\/span> me.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I was about<\/span> to write \u201cMy body, my choice\u201d <\/span>on a wall<\/span>, I hear<\/span>d<\/span> my friend shouting: \u201c<\/span>The p<\/span>olice!\u201d We d<\/span>id<\/span>n\u2019t know how to react, we start<\/span>ed<\/span> running. The police car follow<\/span>ed<\/span> us, <\/span>and<\/span> they finally c<\/span>aught<\/span> us, insult<\/span>ed<\/span> us, hand-cuff<\/span>ed<\/span> and t<\/span>ook<\/span> us by force to the car. I ask<\/span>ed<\/span> if I <\/span>was<\/span> allowed to make a call, <\/span>and<\/span> they ask<\/span>ed me:<\/span> \u201cAre you underage<\/span>, boy?\u201d I <\/span>told<\/span> them I was<\/span> neither underage<\/span>,<\/span> nor a boy, so they t<\/span>old<\/span> me I ha<\/span>d<\/span> no reason to make a call. I ask<\/span>ed<\/span> why <\/span>they<\/span> had <\/span>hand-cuffed <\/span>us<\/span>, they t<\/span>old<\/span> me to shut my mouth. At the police station, they t<\/span>ook<\/span> us out of the car, in the same aggressive way, and push<\/span>ed<\/span> us up the stairs. There <\/span>we<\/span>re 5-6 policemen around us, verifying our backpacks, confiscating our shoe-spays, holding moralizing speeches; one of them sa<\/span>i<\/span>d<\/span>: \u201c<\/span>We should s<\/span>trip them and spray-paint them from head to toe, so they can see how it feels\u201d. Finally, they t<\/span>old<\/span> us that what we did is a contravention and they <\/span>would <\/span>write us a fine. Then they let us go. <\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday at noon, I w<\/span>o<\/span>ke up and <\/span>thought I should go<\/span> to the anti-abortion march <\/span>and<\/span> take some pictures. My friend d<\/span>id<\/span>n\u2019t want to go. On the way <\/span>there<\/span>, I met another comrade; I t<\/span>ook<\/span> pictures with the phone \u2013 in front of the march, children with coloured balloons joyfully shout<\/span>ed<\/span> about their right to live, priests, families, men in traditional national costumes and with national flags with the cross on them. More and more of them c<\/span>a<\/span>me. <\/span>From b<\/span>ehind, someone pull<\/span>ed<\/span> my bag. I turn<\/span>ed<\/span> around and there <\/span>was<\/span> a fit young man in sportswear: \u201cDo you have spray-paint in there?\u201d. I <\/span>said<\/span> I d<\/span>id<\/span>n\u2019t, and ask<\/span>ed<\/span> him why he look<\/span>ed<\/span> in my bag. We <\/span>went<\/span> a little further, I t<\/span>ook<\/span> some more pictures, and <\/span>than I heard<\/span> some men shouting from behind: \u201cFuck you, fucking faggot, stop taking pictures here!\u201d. I turn<\/span>ed<\/span> around and there <\/span>were<\/span> about 7 fit and strong young men, moving aggressively towards me. They carr<\/span>ied<\/span> the same banners with \u201cthe right to live\u201d as the other participants in the march. I t<\/span>old<\/span> my friend we should go. The young men c<\/span>a<\/span>me towards us. We turn<\/span>ed<\/span> around to leave, and I fel<\/span>t<\/span> kicks in the back, some of them with boots. There<\/span> was<\/span> a lot of police around, riot police, many families with children and many priests, but nobody intervene<\/span>d<\/span> in our support. <\/span><\/p>\n

We rush<\/span>ed<\/span>, we le<\/span>ft<\/span> the march through some small streets in the neighbourhood. We reach<\/span>ed<\/span> Carol Park where we met another friend, who was earlier retained and banned by the riot police because he was taking pictures. We talk<\/span>ed<\/span> and we head<\/span>ed<\/span> home. On M\u0103r\u0103\u015fe\u015fti Boulevard, near Budapesta junction, at about 400 metres distance, we s<\/span>aw<\/span> a group of young men coming towards us. I c<\/span>ouldn<\/span>\u2019t tell whether they <\/span>we<\/span>re the same as before or others. We decide<\/span>d<\/span> to turn right on a small street, without running. The gang s<\/span>aw<\/span> us turning and start<\/span>ed chasing<\/span> us. We r<\/span>a<\/span>n. We turn<\/span>ed<\/span>, they follow<\/span>ed<\/span> us on the <\/span>small<\/span> street. We r<\/span>a<\/span>n as fast as we c<\/span>ould<\/span>. My leg hurt from the earlier kicks and it <\/span>was<\/span> difficult to run. We r<\/span>a<\/span>n. I ask<\/span>ed<\/span> my friend to <\/span>hold<\/span> my hand because I <\/span>was<\/span> scared. The streets <\/span>we<\/span>re empty, we <\/span>thought to hide in a<\/span> block-of-flats, but there <\/span>we<\/span>re no blocks <\/span>on the street<\/span>, just houses. We r<\/span>a<\/span>n. We reach<\/span>ed<\/span> a dead-end street \u2013 and I <\/span>was<\/span> thinking this is the end of us. Luckily there <\/span>was<\/span> an open gate, and a courtyard <\/span>full of<\/span> people. We enter<\/span>ed<\/span> and ask<\/span>ed<\/span> them to allow us to stay there for few minutes, because some guys <\/span>we<\/span>re chasing us to beat us up. They ask<\/span>ed<\/span> us whether they should call the police. No, don\u2019t, I was beaten up earlier while surrounded by a sea of policemen and they didn\u2019t raise a finger. The idea that police protects us is an illusion. We call<\/span>ed<\/span> a taxi, we <\/span>went<\/span> to some friends\u2019 place and we <\/span>were<\/span> finally safe. <\/span><\/p>\n

Today, at the \u201cMarch for Life\u201d, I was attacked by fascists just <\/span>because of<\/span> my looks. My mere physical presence attracted violence. I wasn\u2019t carrying any message, I didn\u2019t say a word. The streets <\/span>are getting<\/span> increasingly dangerous for queer women, for <\/span>gender non-conforming people,<\/span> for pe<\/span>ople<\/span> whose physical aspect differs from the conventional. There\u2019s a small step from the daily \u201cAre you a boy or a girl?\u201d to the boot kicks in the back. Our mere presence in the public space <\/span>triggers<\/span> aggression. There\u2019s no place <\/span>where <\/span>we <\/span>can really be<\/span> safe. Where is the resistance? Where is the solidarity? Maybe it\u2019s time to wake up.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On March 24th, 2017, on a Friday night, I was talking to my comrade and we both got angry at the anti-abortion rally which had been authorized by the City Hall, and was to take place the next day, at noon. It\u2019s the first time that the Orthodox Romanian Church (ORC or BOR \u2013 the Romanian acronym \u2013 as it will be called from now on in this text) itself takes the official initiative to organize an anti-abortion march. Not Provita, not some other \u201cpro life\u201d NGO, but BOR itself, as an institution. This happens right after the Coalition for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[92,161],"tags":[280,279,281,278],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4293"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4293"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4309,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4293\/revisions\/4309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artapolitica.ro\/gazetapolitica\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}