VIDEO Călin Georgescu alongside far-right extremist indicted for legionary propaganda and antisemitism: „Let us embrace our past”

The pro-Russian candidate with a legionary discourse in Romania’s May 4 presidential election, Călin Georgescu, appears in a video alongside Marian Motocu, who was indicted on Thursday by the Craiova Court Prosecutor’s Office for legionary propaganda, antisemitism, and xenophobia on Facebook, according to G4Media sources. This marks the first major case in recent years where prosecutors have pursued charges under Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 31/2002, judicial sources told G4Media.

„Let us embrace our past, let us assume our history, let us take responsibility for our ancestors,” says Călin Georgescu in a video clip.

According to the cited sources, prosecutors discovered during searches a video in which Georgescu states:

„Let us embrace our past, let us assume our history, let us take responsibility for our ancestors. The time will come when we will have a single national history book, we will have a country of our own, of those who follow the ancestral line, of those who understand the sacrifices of our forefathers and realize that we are what we are and will remain only what we are. Thank you all!”

The supporter featured in Georgescu’s video has been indicted under Romania’s Penal Code and Government Emergency Ordinance 31/2002, which criminalizes incitement to hatred, homophobia, antisemitism, and legionary ideology, among other offenses. However, the Romanian state has failed to enforce this law effectively for the past two decades.

The Legionnaires and Political Assassinations

It is important to note that the Legionary Movement (a Romanian far-right, fascist, and ultranationalist group) used political assassination as a tool during the interwar period. The legionnaires were responsible for a series of politically motivated killings that shook Romania in the 1930s.

Among their victims were two sitting prime ministers:

• I.G. Duca, assassinated on December 30, 1933, at Sinaia train station
• Armand Călinescu, assassinated on September 21, 1939, in Bucharest

Additionally, the legionnaires brutally murdered historian Nicolae Iorga on November 27, 1940, near Strejnicu, Prahova, and also killed economist Virgil Madgearu in November 1940. These assassinations occurred while Romania was under the so-called „National Legionary State” (September 14, 1940 – February 14, 1941).

The legionnaires also massacred over 60 political prisoners during the Jilava Massacre and killed dozens of innocent people whom they had marked as enemies on so-called „blacklists.”

G4Media provides a detailed analysis of why the Legionary Movement is the most toxic political and ideological product of interwar Romania and how, after 1989, the Romanian state has tolerated leaders and regimes that promoted political violence.

Georgescu’s Praise for the Legionnaires

In 2020, Călin Georgescu described the Legionary Movement as „the strongest essence and expression of health and self-will to emerge from the Romanian people” and „unique.” However, historical records clearly show that the movement used political assassination as its primary weapon.

Romania currently has at least two legal frameworks that punish the promotion, dissemination, and glorification of the Legionary Movement, antisemitism, and hate speech. Nevertheless, as G4Media has previously reported, Romanian authorities have systematically failed to enforce these laws.

Who is Marian Motocu?

Marian Motocu, leader of a far-right organization, has been indicted for promoting legionary propaganda and posting antisemitic and xenophobic messages on social media, according to the Craiova Court Prosecutor’s Office.

Political Reactions and Context

• Crin Antonescu, the joint candidate of the PSD-PNL-UDMR-Minorities coalition in the May 4 presidential election, condemned the legionnaires’ assassinations during a Wednesday night interview on Digi24. Referring to the social media lists of journalists targeted by supporters of the pro-Russian candidate Georgescu, Antonescu stated: „This is how Nicolae Iorga, Virgil Madgearu, and other innocent Romanians were murdered.”
• Elena Lasconi, president of USR and a candidate in the same election, also reacted to the hate-driven lists circulated by Georgescu’s supporters. She called them „a fascist-inspired disgrace” and urged prosecutors to take action.

Authorities’ Inaction on Extremism Cases

Since March 30, 2023, when Alex Florența took over as Romania’s Attorney General, not a single person has been indicted for legionary propaganda or glorification of war criminals, despite the increasing prevalence of extremism—even in the Romanian Parliament.

The Romanian state criminalizes:

• Denial or minimization of the Holocaust
• Hate speech and discrimination
• Legionary, fascist, and antisemitic propaganda

However, for years, warnings from the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, Jewish organizations, and international diplomats have been ignored. Meanwhile, extremists have continued to publicly commemorate Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (the founder of the Legionary Movement) with fascist salutes in Tâncăbești, and even politicians have engaged in hate speech, legionary propaganda, and antisemitic rhetoric.

No Official Statements, No Prosecutions

Neither the Attorney General’s Office nor the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police has issued any official statements, press releases, or warnings about the rise of extremism in Romania. Authorities have not even acknowledged that a law exists criminalizing such activities.

Official Prosecutorial Data on OUG 31/2002 Cases

When G4Media and the Institute for Strategic Evaluation (ISE) asked the Attorney General’s Office how many investigations had been launched under OUG 31/2002 since Florența took office in March 2023, the response was zero cases initiated ex officio.

Moreover, in 2023 and 2024, prosecutors have not indicted anyone for antisemitic or legionary propaganda or Holocaust denial.

Judicial Reports Confirm Minimal Enforcement

A 2021 report by the Judicial Inspection Authority found that from 2017 to 2020:

• 466 cases related to antisemitism, xenophobia, and hate speech were identified across Romanian prosecutors’ offices.
• Of these, 320 cases were resolved by 2021.
• Only 9 cases (under 3%) resulted in an indictment.

The report recommended:

• Strengthening judicial training on hate speech and far-right extremism.
• Increasing enforcement of laws against fascist and legionary propaganda.
• Monitoring the spread of extremist rhetoric online.

Warnings Ignored

Despite repeated warnings from Jewish organizations, the Elie Wiesel Institute, and government advisers, authorities have continued to ignore the growing problem of extremism in Romania.

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