Father jumps from Romanian parliament balcony in protest

A father whose payments for his disabled child had been cut by the Romanian government leapt from a balcony in his country's parliament in protest at the decision. Adrian Sobaru, 40, threw himself headfirst over the balcony, which stood about 23ft above the chamber, as Emil Boc, Romania's prime minister began speaking ahead of a no-confidence vote.



As he jumped, he could be heard shouting: "Boc, you've taken away the rights of our children." Mr Sobaru, who suffered fractures to the face, and other non life-threatening injuries, was able to get into the parliament because he works as an electrician for the national television station.



He then shouted "Liberty and Justice" as he was taken to hospital. He was also wearing a T-shirt with the slogan: "You've killed our future". Mr Boc looked shocked and rushed over to the man, along with other politicians, before the session was cancelled. The prime minister later called the incident "a tragedy that shocked me" and appealed for calm "in these tough times."



Austerity measures imposed by the Romanian government have seen civil servant salaries cut by 25 per cent have also led to the cutting of some allowances that he was receiving for the disabled child.