Some of the families of the ones who have lost their lives in the October 30 fire have adorned on Wednesday, with help from the AsproAS social workers, a Christmas tree in front of the Colectiv club, each of them bringing a little star for each of the tragedy’s victims.
Photos of those who have passed away in the fire or afterwards, in hospitals, were hung on the stars. The families of the other victims are waited to bring photos or memories that could be hung in the tree. There is also a ribbon around the tree, with the message “Colectiv, we won’t forget you on Christmas. Thank you for making us better.”
63 candles were lit at the place of the tragedy.
Laurentiu Istrate, father of Claudiu Bogdan, the 54th victim of the Colectiv club said that by this act, the families wish to keep the gone beloved in their souls, and also to draw a signal to the lack of responsibility, incompetence and ignorance.
“We wish to keep them in our souls as good and beloved angels. With hope that their souls will protect us from above, from over there, all of us, so now, we thought on the Eve of the Birth of Jesus Christ, we have them here. Moreover, this tragedy we wouldn’t want it to be forgotten. This was a tragedy, and a murder, too and this murder is — in our imagination, of the parents beaten by sadness and grief for the loss of our children — an effect of the way this country is run, of the lack of responsibility, of incompetence and ignorance of the ones ruling us. It is just one of the outcomes, because the effects of what happens today in Romania, even if not collective tragedies, do happen each and every day. People die in hospitals, people die on construction yards, poor people they are. Over 50 percent of Romania’s children live in abject poverty,” said he.
He also deems that the people responsible with the October 30 tragedy must be held accountable, as this is a warning for everybody else.
“This murder must not be left like this, and the guilty must pay. No matter of who they are. This system and all the people who work and watch to the safety and issuance of such operating licenses, the checking that must be done should know that they are responsible and that by the example of those who are guilty here, regardless of who they are, all the others must understand that they are liable, to,” he added.
Iancu Eugen, father of Mihai Alexandru, the 59th person who died due to the Colectiv fire, said that the tree was erected in front of the Colectiv club because the families of the dead could not celebrate Christmas at home.
“We made this fir tree for them, because we cannot make it at home anymore. No one is capable to cook, to prepare, to do things. We thought that through this tree — I don’t even know how to put it — we shall ‘celebrate’ Christmas. In fact, they will be together, a large group, because from now on they will forever be together. We put their photos, the other parents will bring the others’ photos, if they wish and they will come in stages. There are 63 tiny stars, 63 photos. There are Christmas globes — all for our children. Hopefully, they will really go in a better world, because here those who would have taken care of them have denied that. They couldn’t manage to take care and from what we see, they further cannot provide care to anybody, because absolutely anything good happens. After two months, we can see but a free show and no measure,” he said.
Iancu Eugen said he is dissatisfied with the fact that after two months since the tragedy, no one was sanctioned for the tragedy.
“We have justices who are freeing everybody as on conveyor. Everybody is happy, and I ask myself if these kids are really dead, because I have a feeling that actually nothing has happened. It is only us, a bunch of lunatics who believe that something went on fire and that some people have died, yet for the people in charge, for the justices anything happened. I believe that with the next fire, all these people, from ministers, hospital managers, all the ones who have coordinated the activity and who now should take measures and they haven’t, with the next fire where children will die, they should be charged with murder, because it happened, they were drawn attention and did nothing,” he said.
The AsproAS managing director, Ioana Radulescu said that the social workers association that has offered support to ten families after the October 30 fire, got involved in the arrangement of the Christmas tree in front of the Colectiv club.
“It is an event the families have organized and wished to have a Christmas tree for their children, here. (…) It is not any tree, it is a Christmas tree with memories, firstly because it’s a tree with 63 tiny stars, it’s a tree with messages from the families. Each family brought a globe on which they wrote something or put a memory from home and hung it in the tree,” said Radulescu. More…