First their narratives become so infested with lies they go out of sync with their own administrators on the ground. What do you think? PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he -- like her -- committed insane acts, we want to defend them. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. This is a vulgar provocation. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. Central planning in economics leads to a mismatch in prices and a collapse in the economy while a Central Narrative in politics leads to an increased incidence of involuntary rebellion. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. The following is a transscript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. Romanian demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest during the 1989 anti-communist revolution, 22 December 1989. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceausescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceausescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? The produce which the peasants grew was exported, and the peasants came from the most remote provinces to Bucharest and to the other cities in order to buy bread. He always claimed to act and speak on behalf of the people, to be a beloved son of the people, but he only tyrannized the people all the time. CEAUSESCU: No, no. Two: Armed attack on the people and the state power, in accordance with Article 163 of the penal code. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: What an obscene provocation. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. Another question . PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceauescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. I have nothing to do with them. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. Print. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. And we will not betray our people here. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: the accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. Witnesses saw scores of people shot down in the centre of Bucharest in the evening and around the burning royal palace where the Ceauescu family had made their home. Who pays them? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize you. This is our home. Because of the crimes they committed against the people, I plead, on behalf of the victims of these two tyrants, for the death sentence for the two defendants. This is not possible. It is surpassingly perilous not only for the country, but also for the ruler who relies on it. ELENA CEAUSESCU: We will not sign any statement. A voice in the studio said that the army was wholly on the side of the people. Ceausescu's last speech was interrupted but not by the shouts of the masses. Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. What do you say as a citizen? PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? Just a genteel, inoffensive refusal from an old gent. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. . I do not recognize this court. Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25) More Notable Events on December 21: 1997 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season 1991 U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN-director Ted Turner 1989 Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Xmas cards with word beacon spelled beakon And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. He was a cosignatory of an open letter harshly critical of the Ceauescu region which appeared last march. The Times of Israel quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. What about the accounts? I do not recognize the court. Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building. a silent falling away among American allies. Ti-mi-oa-ra!a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. A lie, a lie in my face. Centralized Information as Hayek points out, eventually becomes the Official Lie. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we will not sign. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. They not only killed children, young people and adults in Timisoara and Bucharest; they allowed Securitate members to wear military uniforms to create the impression among the people that the army is against them. In the wake of growing tension over an uprising in Timioara in which thousands were reportedly killed, Ceauescu decided to give a nationally televised speech before a crowd in Palace Square . Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu appeared on the balcony of the Central Committee of Comunmunist Party of Romania building, in Bucharest, Romania, on 21 December 1989, and began as he had in years past, with a speech laden with the usual `wooden language`. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. Are they the people, or are you paying them? The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. I do not recognize this court. A tyrant stops knowing the difference. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. The truth shall set you free, even if it makes you miserable. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. A little noticed article in the Sydney Morning Herald notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. Who are these fanatics? I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. Forget what the politicians on Capitol Hill are saying about the prisoner swap. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer this question. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. Paper is patient. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. From the archive, 23 December 1989: Celebration as a nation emerges from the dark, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Why did you make the peasants starve? He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. The following is a transcript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceauescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Esteemed chairman of the court, today we have to pass a verdict on the defendants Nicolae Ceausescu and Elena Ceausescu who have committed the following offenses: Crimes against the people. Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. He, Elena and four others managed to get to the roof and escaped by helicopter, only seconds ahead of a group of demonstrators who had followed them there.. Free elections would be held as soon as possible, and independent media would be established. CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Esteemed chairman of the court, today we have to pass a verdict on the defendants Nicolae Ceauescu and Elena Ceauescu who have committed the following offenses: crimes against the people. The president of the United States is the commander in chief over all branches of the military. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? The process usually follows this path. CEAUSESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. Please make a note that here it has been stated that all legal regulations have been observed, that this is a legal trial. He would be executed a few days later. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. The details are known. The collapse of the narrative doesnt happen in a single big step, but through an accumulation of small, personal, often innocuous refusals. At the moment the situation is rather uncertain. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. CEAUSESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. Ford said of his resignation,I was no longer in a position where I felt I could defend the American policy. Sooner or later inability to credit yoga or videos produced in Los Angeles as actual factors becomes more and more widespread. The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceauescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceauescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. The defendant has not recognized us. It should be stated once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceausescus are no longer valid. ELENA CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. They are cowards. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this? All Rights Reserved. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to ensure both success and the appearance of popular support. They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. Why did you starve the people? Sudden realizations are like a crash; its not the fact of deceleration that is fatal so much as the suddenness of it. PROSECUTOR: Esteemed Mr. Chairman, I have been one of those who, as a lawyer, would have liked to oppose the death sentence, because it is inhuman. Do you want to sign this statement? Because of the crimes they committed against the people, I plead, on behalf of the victims of these two tyrants, for the death sentence for the two defendants. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. But their triumph was marred by the first confused reports of fresh bloodshed in the early evening following heavy machine-gun fire in Bucharests Republic Square. The people were slaves. This shows again how false the charges are. I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. Tell us! Answer this question! We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: As a citizen, as a simple citizen, I tell you the following: At no point was there such an upswing, so much construction, so much consolidation in the Romanian provinces. Who are these fanatics? Ceauescus hated son, Nicu, a one-time candidate to follow his father as the countrys leader, was said to have been arrested in the city of Sibiu as he was trying to take hostages. And who brought them into the country? He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. The streets and squares of Bucharest were littered with torn portraits and shattered busts of the President and his wife. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. But we are not talking about people. . Not a single shot. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. He always claimed to act and speak on behalf of the people, to be a beloved son of the people, but he only tyrannized the people all the time. I would not call for the death sentence, but it would be incomprehensible for the Romanian people to have to go on suffering this great misery and not to have it ended by sentencing the two Ceausescus to death. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. The following is a transcript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceauescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. Richard is soon unhorsed on the field at the climax of the battle, and cries out, A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! But wags through the ages have rewritten the lines perhaps less poetically, but more accurately as a hearse, a hearse, my kingdom for a hearse. That sad funereal vehicle is always drawn by teams of corrupt information. A photo of a television screen of Nicolae Ceauescu delivering his last public speech from the balcony of the Romanian Communist Party headquarters, 21 December 1989. One moment Ceauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, no. But by then there was nowhere to hide. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. Nobody has opened an account. What may happen of course, is that like a frog slowly being boiled in a pot, the process happens so slowly that people arent aware of it themselves. Then follows the reading of the indictment. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech, December 1989 Annotation One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). The palaces belong to the people. What defamation, what provocations! Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. . Machine guns splattered against a background of church bells ringing in triumph. Since the old government has been dissolved and Ceauescu has lost his functions, he no longer has the right to be treated as the president. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. The slippage that attracts the most attention of course, is discontent within the United States military. ELENA CEAUESCU: Incredible. This was a coup d'etat. Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to scream because there was a shooting that occurred in the background. Defendant, if you had no accounts in Switzerland, will you sign a statement confirming that the money that may be in Switzerland should be transferred to the Romanian state, the State Bank. What prevents him from doing so? They wanted to separate the people from the army. A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceausescu. I will not answer any more. Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban Paper is patient. When the crisis comes the Leader Maximus discovers to his absolute surprise that all support has vanished. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age This is our home. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. No one can deprive me of these functions. JUDECATORUL: Va rog sa luati loc. VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ For the first time that anybody could remember, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was interrupted at a public speech by boos and jeers that began a huge demonstration against him in Bucharest Thursday. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. Fanatics, whom you are paying. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. Thousands of workers were bussed into the square under threat of being fired. The story ofCeauescus final speech is a textbook example. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu should be punished in a really legal trial. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. You were not used to talking to the people. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. In one speech, a Romanian politician likened Ceausescu to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Peter the Great, Abraham Lincoln and other major historical figures. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Hayek argued that in complex systems the relevant facts are dispersed among many people.
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ceausescu last speech transcript