Romania: Hundreds protest move to ease off on corruption

A man holds a poster that reads "Without Corruption" during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Over one thousand people have gathered outside the government offices shortly after a parliamentary legal committee approved a draft that would grant an amnesty to people convicted of bribery and influence peddling, months after massive anti-graft protests.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) (The Associated Press)

Romanian riot police stop protesters from advancing on the government headquarters during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Over one thousand people have gathered outside the government offices shortly after a parliamentary legal committee approved a draft that would grant an amnesty to people convicted of bribery and influence peddling, months after massive anti-graft protests.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) (The Associated Press)

BUCHAREST, Romania – Some 300 people have gathered outside Romania's government offices to protest against a move by lawmakers to pardon acts of corruption, months after massive anti-graft protests.

Demonstrators arrived Wednesday evening, waving Romanian, NATO, European Union and U.S. flags, and yelling: "We have to defend the country from thieves!"

They protested shortly after a parliamentary legal committee approved a draft that would grant an amnesty to people convicted of bribery and influence peddling. The move is a preliminary step before a parliamentary vote.

Lawmakers from the ruling Social Democracy Party dominate the committee.

Hundreds of thousands protested this winter after the government in January moved to decriminalize official misconduct. The government eventually scrapped the ordinance.