Twitter Keeps World Updated on Moldova Riots
The Star Tribune reported that after cable news television stations and mobile phone networks went down as requested by the communist leaders of Moldova on Tuesday, protesters kept in contact through Twitter.
Some protesters stormed Parliament and the offices of President Vladimir Voronin on Tuesday due to what they say were rigged elections. A total of 10,000 people protested and in violent riots more than 90 were injured and 200 were arrested.
Cable news stations in Moldova did not play any footage of the riot, so the protesters use the social network Web site, Twitter, to keep in touch.
"We sent messages on Twitter but didn't expect 15,000 people to join in. At the most we expected 1,000," said Oleg Brega, the head of the non-governmental pro-democracy group Hyde Park.
The New York Times reported that after hundreds of messages were sent through Twitter, the internet was cut off in Chisinau, the country’s capital.