Seven NGOs, SAR and IPP included, on Thursday asked the National Liberal Party to stop Marian Munteanu from running for for the Bucharest City Hall on the ground that “he had and has sympathies for fascist streams, which he has never gone back on”.
“The signatories, organisations for human rights, call on the National Liberal Party to withdraw Marian Munteanu’s candidature as his nomination can be considered an insult to the democratic values of the society we live in,” reads the appeal of the Anti-discrimination Coalition.
The civil society representatives argued that Munteanu “had and has sympathies for fascist streams” by promoting a speech with Orthodox fundamentalist elements, inconsistent with the democratic and constitutional values.
The NGOs warn that by maintaining this candidature, Romania risks entering an isolation spiral that could have very serious consequences for democracy.
The appeal is signed by the Institute for Political Policies (IPP), the Academic Society in Romania (SAR), FILIA Center, Romani Criss-Roma Centr for Social Intervention and Studies, “Together” Agency for Community Development, ACCEPT and Euroregional Center for Public Initiative.
In retort, PNL says that the civil society made unfounded statements against Marian Munteanu, stating that the NGOs proved to promote ‘a propaganda-like speech frequently found in the political game.’ PNL also accused the NGOs of “obvious” bias for a certain candidate and party.
The Liberals defend Munteanu, stating “there is nothing in his activity that can justify the anti-Western charges”.
“PNL sees that even now, like during the sad days of the miners’ riots, evidence in supporting these accusations is missing,” reads the party’s statement.
Elie Wiesel Institute: We are worried by the public figure Marian Munteanu
The ‘Elie Wiesel’ institute has expressed concern, in a reply sent to HotNews.ro, regarding the PNL candidate for Bucharest city hall Marian Munteanu, “to the extent that he overlaps or promotes the symbolism of the inter-war right-wing extremism and because he makes public statements downplaying or denying a series of historical or current facts.”
The Institute believes that, through a statement made Wednesday evening for Antena 3 TV, Munteanu has “distorted the meaning and the content of Law 217/2015”. The institute states that “such populist considerations, lacking arguments, do nothing but circumvent possible events or emotions generated by negative socio-ethnic perceptions or by xenophobic, anti-anti-Semitic, racist prejudices.”
Marian Munteanu said on Wednesday that Law 217 is an anti-Semitic law. “There is very few anti-Semitism, only some isolated cases, it’s rather xenophobia. We all are philo-Semitic because we are all Christians.”