Thousands of Romanians rallied Thursday to demand the resignation of their government for imposing spending cuts and other austerity measures.

Police say about 7,000 people attended the rally in Bucharest, which was organized by opposition parties to call for the resignation of the government and President Traian Basescu.

Demonstrators voiced their displeasure with losses in jobs and what they perceive as lower pensions.

Thursday's rally came after several days of sometimes violent anti-government protests in Romania against austerity cuts, including a controversial health reform bill. Some people were hurt as protesters clashed with police.

The spending cuts are required as part of a multi-billion-dollar loan from the World Bank, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

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SOUNDBITES:

1. (Romanian) Vox pop, Constantin (no family name given), 63 years old:

“I'm a retired myself, for me it's less important. But I came here for the young, for my children, for my nephews who don't have any future here in this country, with these cancerous leaders in power now. They are cancerous, not us.”

2. (Romanian) Professor Dan Draghici, 68-year-old trade union leader:

“I never thought that I would have to come now, after 22 years (since the revolution), to ask another irresponsible president to leave because he has led the country into a hole which it'll be very hard to get of. We are facing a social disaster.”))