A watchdog against anti-Semitism in Romania has urged the countr’s leadership not to promote the appointment of a judge at the Constitutional Court because, it says, he has espoused anti-Semitic views.
‘’Lucian Bolcas, a former vice-president of the anti-Semitic party “Great Romania” (Romania Mare) and an MP of the same party for eight years, has shown full commitment to the anti-Semitic and racist ideas of his mentor, Vadim Tudor,’’ said Maximillian Marco Katz, national director of MCA Romania, a local watchdog on anti-Semitism.
‘’Such an appointment would mean a clear move away from tackling anti-Semitism in the country,’’ he said. ‘’The new and alarming rise in anti-Semitism in Romania is a consequence of the Great Romania Party’s anti-Semitic discourse, a hate-filled discourse that has never been held to account by political figures or punished in a court of law.’’
‘’There is evidence showing Mr Bolcas is a supporter of Marshall Antonescu and ‘saint’ Valeriu Gafencu, a former member of the Nazi political movement Miscarea Legionara. In May 2013, on a TV talk-show, Mr Bolcas advocated in favour of clearing the name of Valeriu Ganfencu. No remorse, no second thought about the fact that the declared objective of Miscarea Legionara was the extermination of all Jews and the Romanian legionnaires actually killed Jews during WWII.’’
‘’To promote a person who holds proven nationalistic views and who supported anti-Semitism to the heart of the Constitutional Court of Romania is simply deplorable. It gives the appearance that Romania is run by leaders that share or support anti-Semitic and extreme political views, as is happening in neighboring countries,’’ Katz added.
The MCA's call came days after the Romanian government issued statements reaffirming its determination to fight anti-Semitism and racism. The statements followed an international uproar over the Romanian public broadcaster TVR3’s television transmission last week of a Christmas carol about burning Jews.