Romanian far-right feeds its powerbase with coup d’état narratives

Leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, has fueled a volatile mix of inflammatory rhetoric and contradictory calls for peace within the party’s private communication channels, our partner PressOne.ro reveals.

Over the past six months, Simion’s statements have oscillated between inciting hatred and violence and advocating for peaceful protests and national unity, particularly in response to Nicușor Dan’s presidential election.

Simion, despite a 20% lead in the first round, lost to Dan in the second round of the 18 May election. Also following the 1 December, 2024, parliamentary elections, three sovereigntist parties secured over a third of the seats in Romania’s 465-seat legislature. Within six months, however, their parliamentary groups diminished as some members became independents, while others joined the dominant Social Democratic Party or National Liberal Party, representing the left and right of the political spectrum, respectively.

Within the private communication channels persistent beliefs persist that Nicușor Dan is an illegitimate president and that the only viable solution at this point is a violent regime change.

Incitement to violence in AUR’s private groups

In AUR’s private WhatsApp groups, particularly those in Ilfov and Hunedoara, messages calling for violent regime change and anti-Semitic tropes are rampant, often going unmoderated by group administrators. These platforms foster an environment where members express extreme views, including calls for bloodshed and coups, with little consequence.

For instance, in the AUR Ilfov group, a member using the pseudonym “Pyty,” identified as Petrică, a medical assistant at the Fundeni Clinical Institute, posted a chilling message:

“God, I’m scared… give me the gun and I’ll sacrifice myself for the country. I’ll go to the government and take them on. I’ll rid the country of some of the thieves.”

Petrică’s social media accounts reveal his alignment with the “sovereignist” movement and a deep-seated hatred for the Save Romania Union (USR) party, which he baselessly accuses of being controlled by Jewish interests intent on destroying Romania. Similarly, in a Hunedoara group managed by AUR deputy Tiberiu Barstan, a member named Anișoara shared a video of Orthodox Jews boarding a plane, accompanied by text suggesting Jewish conspiracies to control Romania. She wrote:

“Romanians, congratulations on your vote! Get ready to tell them ‘hello, master’! They are coming to check their properties and buy a few more percent of Romania!”

Such rhetoric culminated in real-world actions, with anti-Semitic chants of “Get the Jews out of the country!” heard at an AUR-organised protest in Bucharest on 22June.

Simion’s contradictory messaging

Simion’s public statements reflect a pattern of provocation followed by disavowal. Before and after Nicușor Dan’s election as president, Simion made inflammatory remarks, such as:

“Those who committed the coup should be skinned in the public square.”

“I promise you that we will die with them by the throat if necessary. That’s what you do with thieves, not with honest people.”

These were later tempered with calls for peace, such as:

“I congratulated Nicușor Dan because I love Romania and never want to see bloodshed in our country.”

“We are all peaceful here, just like in 1989. This time, I promise you, there must be no more bloodshed.”

This duality appears calculated to energize AUR’s base while maintaining plausible deniability. However, the lack of moderation in AUR’s private groups suggests tacit approval of extremist sentiments.

Anti-semitic messages and calls for ‘revolution’

In the Hunedoara group, Letiția, an AUR representative during last fall’s elections, dismissed Nicușor Dan’s legitimacy, claiming he was elected by “drug addicts and pensioners” and does not represent her. She advocated for overthrowing the government, echoing sentiments in Ilfov groups where members like Valentin, a wedding singer, called for a “new revolution” to combat “globalists.”

Another anonymous member, “Nameless,” suggested that victory against the “mafia in the government” requires the support of the Ministries of Interior and Defense, referencing the 1989 Romanian Revolution.

These discussions occurred under the oversight of AUR MP Gianina Șerban in Ilfov, who has since stepped down as group administrator but remains active in the community. In mid-May, the same Ilfov group was used to suppress discussions about a rape allegation at an AUR summer school, urging members to report related TikTok posts. By July the group’s settings were changed to restrict posting to administrators only, likely in response to media scrutiny.

When confronted about anti-Semitic posts in his Hunedoara group, MP Tiberiu Barstan claimed ignorance and promised to block the group and delete the messages, distancing himself from the sentiments expressed. Similarly, Gianina Șerban did not respond to requests for comment on the Ilfov group’s incitements to violence. These responses highlight a broader pattern of AUR leaders failing to address or discipline members for extremist rhetoric.

Real-world implications

The rhetoric in AUR’s private groups is not confined to online spaces. The 22 June protest in Bucharest, organized by AUR, saw anti-Semitic slogans shouted publicly, reflecting the unfiltered sentiments from these groups. Additionally, four AUR parliamentarians, including Barstan, were questioned by the Prosecutor General’s Office in March 2025 for allegedly coordinating a violent protest outside the Central Electoral Office following the invalidation of Călin Georgescu’s candidacy.

AUR’s private WhatsApp groups reveal a disturbing tolerance for hate speech, anti-Semitism, and calls for violent regime change, often unchecked by party leadership. George Simion’s contradictory messaging, inciting hatred while preaching peace, fuels this extremism while allowing him to evade accountability.

As the political environment in Romania evolves, the gap between public rhetoric and private sentiments remains a significant concern for democracy and social stability.

Edited by a.k.

Caption: AUR leader George Simion and former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu with supporters during a protest in Bucharest on 1 March 2025. [George Simion’s Facebook account]