PSD leaders, incumbent and former presidents, fined by the anti-discrimination watchdog. Iohannis to challenge the sanction

The National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) has decided to fine President Klaus Iohannis for his recent statements on Magyars, but also fined statements previously made by ex-President Traian Basescu and by Social Democrat leaders.

In a statement at the end of April, President Iohannis has taken stand against a law on the Szekler Land’s autonomy that passed tacitly in the Senate, accusing the Social Democratic Party of wanting to render “Transylvania to the Magyars”. President Iohannis has also made two references in Magyar: “O napot kívánok, PSD / O napot kívánok, Ciolacu” (Good afternoon, PSD, Good afternoon, Ciolacu, editor note: Marcel Ciolacu is PSD chairman).

Soon after his statement, an NGO fighting for the Minorities Rights, „Mikó Imre” Association, filed a complaint to the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) against President Iohannis, arguing that his latest statements on the autonomy law represent “hate speech”.

CNCD ruled that Klaus Iohannis’ statements are discriminating and violate the right to dignity based on ethnicity. The Romanian head of state received a fine of RON 5,000.

In retort, President Iohannis says that the CNCD’s fine is “deeply political” and that he will challenge it in court.

Former president Train Basescu has been fined by RON 6,000 for stating that Roma must be named “gypsies” and that they “created a deplorable image to the Romanian people abroad”. “(…) This minority has created a deplorable image to the Romanian people. It’s time to say it, to give up this phantasmagorical name of Roma. They are gypsies (…) Gypsy gangs must understand that their life style cannot be tolerated anymore“, Basescu said.

PSD deputy Nicolae Bacalbasa has been also fined for statements against Roma following a Facebook post where he said that “we’ll be infected with coronavirus from our niggers”. “Let clear things up! Chinese took the virus from bats, we’ll take it form our niggers”, Bacalbasa used to say.

Former PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea, currently in jail for corruption, was also fined by warning for previous statements against anti-government protesters. Dragnea called them “pathetic tools of secret agents”, “we’re cleaning the country from the mess spread by these rats”, “there were four rats that asked all kind of questions”.

Another SocDem leader, Aurelian Badulescu, currently deputy mayor of Bucharest, was fined by RON 2,000 for statements against homosexuals.

Two PSD local branches, the one from Vrancea and the other from Sibiu, have been also fined for discrimination against the foreign name of some politicians, like Klaus Iohannis, Siegfried Muresan, Codruta Kovesi, Eduard Hellvig, Clotilde Armand, Kelemen Hunor, Eugen Tomac.