Alexandru Bălan, a Romanian vlogger also known as Colo with over 850,000 followers, has been detained for 24 hours on Tuesday evening after policemen in Bucharest had heard him for several hours, sources told Digi24. He is charged with incitement to violence against minors.
He was released on Wednesday afternoon and placed under judicial control for 60 days, so facing some restrictions pending trial. Prosecutors have also banned him from posting vlogs online (for instance on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok).
Checks started last week after the vlogger had stated in a videoclip posted on YouTube that “some teen girls deserve to be slapped, to bang their head against the wall and put your foot on their face“, and even incited to rape them. The statements were made while the vlogger was recounting a personal experience with a 16yo girl.
Later on, Alexandru Balan said he was sorry for his statements and explained the video clip is an excerpt from an entertainment live he made several years ago, but he claimed the statements do not represent his way of thinking.
Prosecutors asked the court to place the vlogger under preventive arrest.