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Ruxandra Cesereanu Caietele Echinox, vol. 19, 2010: Communism – Negotiation of Boundaries 315 Ruxandra Cesereanu The Romanian Anticommunist Revolution and the “Terrorists” of December 1989 Strange though it may appear – or ABSTRACT perhaps not so strange after all – the first to The so-called terrorist phenomenon marked talk about “terrorist actions” in December the bloodiest anti-communist revolution in 1989, was dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, in Eastern Europe, i.e. the Romanian Revolu- his rallies against a would-be foreign plot a- tion. This study examines not only the nu- gainst Romania, which the dictator de- ances the phenomenon in question acquired nounced during the last meetings held with during and especially after the events of the members of the Political Executive December 1989, but also its manipulations Committee (Comitetul Politic Executiv) – at the hands of the various factions involved CPEx. The phrase was also employed by his in the events of December 1989, pinpointing brother, General Ilie Ceauşescu upon seve- the implications and consequences of these ral official visits the latter paid to various manipulations. garrisons in Cluj, Arad, Oradea, in De- KEYWORDS cember 1989, during the Timişoara insur- Romania; Nicolae Ceaşescu; Anticommunist rection. In the course of these visits, Ilie Revolution 1989; Securitate; Manipulation; Ceauşescu allegedly briefed the soldiers and Counterrevolution; Terrorists; Diversionists. the commanding officers by selling them stories about the existence of 2000 foreign RUXANDRA CESEREANU terrorists who were to carry out a massive ”Babeş-Bolyai” University, attack against Romania. It is very likely that Cluj-Napoca, Romania those who launched the phrase “terrorists”, [email protected] namely the forces that seized power after Ceauşescu’s flight, drew inspiration from the former dictator. The forces in question were the National Salvation Front (NSF), which became the new political body after the fall of Ceauşescu’s regime. Later on, at the garrison of Târgovişte, when charged with genocide and the murders that the so- called terrorists had committed among the civilians, spreading panic throughout the country, Ceauşescu, who was detained here, Ruxandra Cesereanu 316 suspected the terrorists persons spreading or publishing ru- were members of the mors, as well as confected or ten- Securitate, the notorious dentious information concerning the Political Police of communist Romania, exceptional situation [of the country even while considering himself betrayed by at the time], in order to mislead the the Securitate, despite the fact that, ironi- population and create panic (Siani- cally, the “terrorists” in question, who had Davies 2006: 211). instilled such fear in the population, could in that instance be but some of Ceauşescu’s It is important to mention from the loyalists. outset that the term terrorists was incor- The second person to use the term rectly used with reference to the identity of “terrorist” and the phrase “terrorist phenol- those persons who in December 1989 had menon”, between 22nd and 31st December, murdered both civilians and militaries, and was General Nicolae Militaru, whom NSF spread panic among the population. had appointed as head of the Ministry of Ivan Evseev, in his anthology Timi- National Defense (the acronym of which in şoara, 16-22 decembrie 19891, provides an Romanian is MApN). In an interview given apt definition of the term in circulation in on 23rd December 1989 to BBC, Ion Iliescu, December 1989. In his opinion, a “terrorist” who seized power after the overthrow of was Ceauşescu, thus becoming the new political leader, described terrorists as a word that was not employed in its original sense or with the purpose to certain groups of terrorists specially depict reality; rather, it was used to trained to fight against the people allude to a moral trait. (Evseev 1990: and to protect the dictator… fanatical 35) individuals acting with unpreceden- ted cruelty, firing shots at buildings A “terrorist” is typically defined as and citizens, and making victims a- someone who places bombs at strategic lo- mong militaries… (Siani-Davies cations, e.g. inside political institutions, 2006: 210). takes hostages from among the politicians, and murders politicians or public figures In an official statement that NSF known to have masterminded a social or released to the press on 28th December political movement. However, bombs are 1989, the new authorities defined the so- not always placed in key political in- called terrorists as stitutions. They will occasionally be planted in public locations with a view to kill as persons wearing fire arms and other many civilians as possible. The alleged ter- weapons of attack, ammunition, ex- rorists of December 1989 utterly failed to fit plosives, as well as any other kind of the profile of a terrorist, as defined above, destruction weapons or radio trans- hence the relative nature of the term and, mitters, and who fight against the consequently, the reason why it should not National Salvation Front and the vic- be employed with reference to the Roma- tors of free Romania. nian Revolution. This very incongruity prompted several analysts and historians of Furthermore, the label of “terrorists” the Romanian Revolution to use the term was also abusively applied to counter-revolutionaries instead, while others The Romanian Anticommunist Revolution and the “Terrorists” 317 preferred the term diversionists, which we seized power on consider to be the most appropriate. Brought 22nd December before the Commission of Inquiry into the 1989; Events of December 1989, Nicu Ceauşescu, - army officers, or of the Ministry of the dictator’s favourite son, detained after the Interior, USLA troops (the coun- the downfall of the Ceauşescu regime, ter-terrorism units), including offi- sardonically called the so-called terrorists cers of the Securitate or officers be- “aliens.” longing to the factions that supported Whatever their origin and identity, and approved of the Revolution. the so-called terrorists were depicted as Presumably, the officers in question some sort of “angels of death” or nocturnal acted on the orders of the NSF, with creatures who, from a symbolic point of General Nicolae Militaru, the new view, had acquired vampire-like attributes. leader of MApN, in command; They were believed to train in bunkers, to - members of the Army Intelligence move from one place to another by means Directorate (Romanian acronym DIA), of intricate underground passageways, and acting on the orders of the new poli- to possess sophisticated gruesome weapons. tical authorities that assumed power In what concerns the identity of the alleged following the overthrow of the Ceau- terrorists of December 1989, we hereby şescu regime; provide a rundown of the most relevant - the final theory claims that the ter- theories advanced by analysts of the phe- rorists never existed in the first place nomenon. In turn, terrorists may have been: and that the psychosis created around them was purposely fueled in order - members of the Securitate, loyal to to instill fear and psychological Ceauşescu, i.e. representatives of terror in the population. In this line certain nationalist factions; of line of argument, the casualties of - mainly, yet not exclusively, Roma- December 1989 were accounted for nian orphans raised by the Securitate as tactical errors, military negligence, and trained to serve in Ceauşescu’s or ricocheting bullets. Indeed it was personal guard; known by the nick- regrettable, it has to be said, that ma- name of “janissaries”, these orphans ny civilians had been given weapons were supposedly trained to become they did not know how to use, which kamikaze fighters; led to deadly accidents. - terrorists of Arab or Persian origin, e.g. Libians, Palestinians, Iranians, In the accounts of some analysts, etc.; several of the theories outlined above were - foreign agents, mainly Soviets and collapsed, precisely as a result of the am- Hungarians; biguous and elusive identity of the would-be - Soviet militaries recruited from a- terrorists. Constantin Lucescu, for instance, mong the people of Bessarabia, na- Counsel for the Defense in the Ceauşescu’s tive speakers of Romanian; trial, believed that the Securitate officers - independent snipers; and young orphan mercenaries trained to act - petty offenders from Romanian pri- as Ceauşescu’s personal guard formed com- sons, used either by the factions lo- mando units and disguised themselves as yal to Ceauşescu, or, on the contrary, officers of the Ministry of National Defense by the new political forces who in order to create confusion. In an attempt to Ruxandra Cesereanu 318 shed light on the myste- When questioned by the Commission ry surrounding the alle- of Inquiry into the Events of December ged terrorists, Sergiu 1989, General Iulian Vlad, former head of Nicolaescu, president of one of the two the Securitate, argued that the alleged Commissions of Inquiry into the Events of terrorists of the Romanian Revolution “were December 1989, argued that the entire not terrorists in the standard acceptation of terrorist scenario actually started as a the term.” Rather, they were “professional diversion orchestrated by the Securitate, killers” and few in number. According to whose purpose was aimed at maintaining Vlad, most of the people who died after 22nd authority and preventing the bloodshed. December were not killed by the so-called However, since the Army and the revolu- terrorists; rather, they died “by pure acci- tionaries
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