Romania’s anti-Semitism czar wants European Socialists to stop Bucharest Social Democrats joining forces with ‘neo-fascist party’

Inquam Photos / Liviu Chirica

Romania’s anti-Semitism czar on Thursday formally asked the European Socialists to take action to stop an alliance between Romania’s Social Democrats and a “neo-fascist party.”

Anti-Semitism policies

The opposition Social Democrats and the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) have joined forces to try and unseat the centrist ruling coalition in a no-confidence vote. They will  jointly submit the motion on June 14.

“An unnatural alliance has been born in Romania. Romanian Socialists have  allied with the fascists to overthrow the government,” said Alexandru Muraru, a lawmaker for the ruling Liberal Party.

He is the prime minister’s advisor on anti-Semitism policies, the memory of the Holocaust and communism.

Neo-fascist

“It is for the first time since Romania joined the EU that the Social Democrats have prepared a vote of no-confidence … with an extremist, neo-fascist party”, he said.

“Through this political action, the Social Democratic Party goes back 30 years. At that time, it openly collaborated with extremist, anti-Semitic, fascist parties,” he said in a statement.

European Parliament

The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has 146 seats in the 705-seat European Parliament.

It is the second-biggest party after the center-right European People’s Party.

Mr Muraru said he’d sent a letter to the chairman of the European Socialists, Sergey Stanishev and other  party members “bringing to their attention …. an agreement between PSD and AUR, “ in Romania’s parliament.

“It is alarming that it may set a precedent for future cooperation between PSD and AUR. This would give AUR more power by associating with the largest political party in Parliament. It would also  distance the Social Democrats from European values,” the statement said.

Government

The two parties have a combined 204 seats in the 465-seat legislature, not enough to unseat the government.

„I pointed out that the consequences of this inconceivable association between the Social Democrats “and a neo-fascist, xenophobic, homophobic and anti-European political party. (This is) serious for European socialists as well.”

He said he’d called on the European Socialists “to publicly condemn and immediately stop any political cooperation or association between the Social Democratic Party of Romania and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, at any stage and for any purpose. ”

Communism

Alexandru Muraru, a historian, is an advisor to Premier Florin Citu in charge of fighting anti-Semitism and preserving the memory of Holocaust and communism. He was appointed to the newly-created post in January.

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