Romania: Man jumps from parliament balcony to protest austerity measures

A man jumped from the balcony of Romanian parliament early on Thursday, while Prime Minister Emil Boc was preparing to speak at the rostrum.

The man, an alleged technician of the public television TVR, had shouted before plunging: "You deprived my children of bread!" according to lawmakers at the scene.

Ambulance staff arrived at the site and the prime minister left the rostrum to see what happened, as the man was being given first aid.

"The most important thing right now is to save the life of the man," said Boc.

The man broke a bench when falling.

The man was conscious after falling, according to Raed Arafat, undersecretary of state for health.

The two chambers of parliament gathered in a plenum to debate a no-confidence vote over the framework public wage law.

The opposition tabled a no-confidence motion, after the government had sought a vote of confidence over the framework public wage law.

The motion initiators argue that the planned legislation dramatically cuts public workers' earnings and their purchasing power.

They stress that the cut in the income of 1.29 million public sector staff leads to curbed consumption, curbed production of goods and services and ultimately plunges Romania deeper into crisis and into economic decline in 2011 and in the ensuing years.

Source: Xinhua