In Romania, the far right launched some hate and revived our fascist ghosts | Andrei Popoviciu
INa forest is outside Bucharest, her infant woman was illiterate in one arm He raised the other in the Nazi greeting. It was one of about 70 people who gathered on November 30 last year to celebrate the anniversary of the death of Cornellio Zelia Koduriano, the leader of the fascist Romania between the two wars. Legion movement His semi -military wing, the iron guard.
Codreanu and his ally, Ion Antonisco – the anti -war Romanian dictator – was central figures in the history of the Holocaust in the country. Codreanu was assassinated in 1938 and Antonescu was executed as a war criminal in 1946.
However, in Romania today, their legacy is revived after his death as part of the same national movement that prompted the active rise in Russia’s extremist candidate on the extreme right. Cǎlin Georgescu.
Georgisco came from mystery to win the first round of the presidential elections last November, prompting the courts to cancel the polls on suspicion of his external interference. On Sunday, Georgsco was prevented by the country’s election commission from standing up to restart it in May, on the basis that he violated the constitutional commitment to defend democracy.
He was the former agricultural expert Investigation in 2022 For observations praised on Codreanu and Antonescu as national heroes and “martyrs”. The situation was Later. But last month made What looks like a Nazi greeting In public places after being interrogated by the plaintiffs.
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Nazi salute, such as the celebration of the Tâncăbești forest, is illegal under Roman law, which prohibits the glorification of fascist characters. But such gestures and symbols attracted new attention after the November election disturbances.
The Constitutional Court canceled the vote after classifying the intelligence documents that claimed Russian intervention, including through the campaign to mislead Tiktok.
No evidence of the funding of the Russian campaign has been revealed yet, but the public prosecutors He accused Georgisco On six charges, including the financing of the illegal campaign, belonging to anti -Semitic organizations and enhancing fascist symbols. He denied violations.
Although he was prevented from standing in the office, the appearance of Georgsco has doubled the incendiary culture. Stolen in religious and long conservatives, took advantage of his speech in a strong mixture of resentment and nostalgia. This has brought back deep currents of foreigners’ phobia, racism and anti -Semitism that many believed had been transferred to history, although the diverse population of Romania – including important Hungarian and Roman minorities – has long been a flashing point for tensions.
Romania’s account with the fascist past has always been weak. After the fall of communism, which was subjected to the fascists interlocking as enemies of the state, people such as Codrean and Antonescu were reformulated as national heroes through the far -right characters. This novel found fertile ground in a country that wrestles with the legacy of the brutal dictatorship and the chaos of transition.
Tensions were corrected in 2020 when the Romanian Union Party (AR) allied, the first right -wing group of parliament, I started normalizing the speech This reduces the Holocaust and the rehabilitation of the Legion, according to Adina Marinshi, a researcher at the Illi Ways National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania.
But contrary to what the most accurate dog butter prefers AR, Georgescu messages are public and explicit. He stood as an independent in the unknown presidential elections. His support comes from groups through a wide spectrum: youth, rural residents, intellectuals, priests, police, military personnel and media figures. Many refer to Georgescu as “The Captain” – the title that was booked once for Codreanu. More than 40 organizations with the Legion movement coups, with anti -abortion and Ultranational views, signed a Support letter For him after he won the first round.
“The expression of severe positions has reached its climax,” said Marinca about the weeks after the first round of the canceled elections. “We have seen a wave of threats and radical discourse from those who believed they were on the winning side.”
The scourge of minorities increased at the same time. Rome Rights Group, volunteers in Rome for democracy, she says to her Members received death threatsPictures of Nazi weapons and symbols, accompanied by messages that warn that “the Jews and Rome must eliminate.”
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“The threats were not possible if they were not encouraged by Georgisco, who was also encouraged by extremist right -wing parties,” the head of the NGO, Allen Bano. LGBTQ Rights Associations have also been threatened.
My colleague, journalist investigator Victor Eli, I looked The alleged Russian financial ties that have strengthened conspiracy theories for years before the Georgisco campaign. He also received death threats.
Law enforcement agencies in Romania has Imprisoned raids In the homes of people suspected of celebrating the fascist leaders or displaying fascist symbols. But these procedures are interactive and insufficient.
The hate wave has already poured into public life, where civil society has reported increasing threats, which Marincea says can turn into physical violence, especially against LGBTQ+groups. If criminal investigations lead to no arrest, extremist groups will be equipped The extreme right targeting of the media It is likely to get worse.
Two extremist parties entered Parliament for the first time last year, creating a political environment as not only tolerance of hate speech but is celebrated. The leader of one of these parties flow Live pictures of herself Coatreanu celebration.
Georgisco recently announced its support for ethnic minorities and ensuring safety. Marincea believes that it was published on social media “Performance” and “Part of the Calculation and Strategic Complement Calculation to wash his image.”
Many people have been extremely extreme by canceling the election results and what they see as a campaign against a Christian personality whose mission is to save people from the institution. Many now call his refusal to be nominated to restart the coup.
The success of Georgsco is a broader trend supported by foreign actors including Russia: the return of extremist, anti -democratic movements that take advantage of economic uncertainty, social divisions and lack of confidence in major institutions.
In Romania, with three extremist right -wing parties holding in Parliament, this path has a uniquely dangerous advantage. It is possible that it will increase polarization, social divisions, and to reshape the Romania relationship with the European Union and its support for Ukraine, as it is Rehawakens ghosts For a fascist past, who was hoping for many to be expelled.