Over 20,000 people attended Romania’s National Day military parade in Alba Iulia on Monday, which featured more than 1,000 servicemen, firefighters, police officers, military students and pupils, as well as Polish troops from allied structures of the Multinational Brigade South-East.
A detachment of gendarmes was also scheduled to participate, having attended rehearsals on Saturday, but only the gendarmerie vehicles were retained for Monday’s parade.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan was present at the event and was booed by some attendees, who also chanted „Resignation!” and hooted during the Romanian National Anthem.
The military ceremony on 1 December 1918 Boulevard in Alba Iulia included 18 marching detachments on foot and 18 detachments with over 70 vehicles.
Many of the troops present in Alba Iulia have previously taken part in international missions and operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Africa, and other regions.
Parading units included soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division „Gemina”, Special Operations Forces, the 136th Engineer Battalion „Apulum”, the 26th Reconnaissance-Surveillance Battalion „Avram Iancu”, the 814th Tank Battalion „Mihai Voda”, the Alba County Emergency Situations Inspectorate „Unirea”, Alba County Police Inspectorate, the National Administration of Penitentiaries, the „Nicolae Balcescu” Land Forces Academy, and the „Mihai Viteazul” National Military College.
Reenactors from the National Union Museum in Alba Iulia, the Ferdinand I Historical Reenactment Association, the Pandurii Vladimirescu group from Mehedinti, as well as personnel from the Romanian Red Cross Alba Iulia branch and members of the Alba Association of Veteran and Disabled Veterans were also present.
Parade vehicles included VAMTAC and JLTV combat vehicles, GEPARD and terrestrial artillery systems, HIMARS and LAROM rocket launchers, and PIRANHA III and PIRANHA V armoured personnel carriers.
The largest parade to date took place in 2018 during the „Centenary of the Great Union”, with over 1,600 personnel from the Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as around 150 technical vehicles. AGERPRES
