Right-wing former presidential hopeful Calin Georgescu faces fresh legal trouble, this time for allegedly spreading fascist propaganda.
A local court in Bucharest on Tuesday held the first hearing in the case against Calin Georgescu, who is accused of endorsing figures and ideas linked to Romania’s inter-war fascist movement, a crime under laws targeting extremism.
The court is expected to decide soon whether the case will move forward to a full trial.
Prosecutors say that between June 2020 and May 2025, he repeatedly endorsed fascist ideas in interviews, online posts and public appearances.
He is also accused of praising extremist historical figures, including Marshal Ion Antonescu, head of Romania’s fascist government during World War II and a convicted war criminal – as well as Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the founder of the Legion of the Archangel Michael.
A fascist organisation, it combined extreme nationalism with anti-Semitism, religious mysticism and authoritarianism. It gained significant influence in the 1930s, becoming notorious for political assassinations, pogroms and a cult of martyrdom before being banned in 1941.
If found guilty, Georgescu could receive a prison sentence ranging from three months to three years, with the penalty potentially increased owing to the continuous nature of the alleged offences.
He has denied the charges. Leaving the courtroom on Tuesday, he claimed that the judiciary was being controlled by the authorities and that “freedom of expression has been taken away from us”.
“It is not only a humiliation directed at me, but a humiliation directed at the Romanian people,” he added.
Georgescu is already under investigation for other serious offences, including complicity to undermine the constitutional order, spreading false information and founding an anti-Semitic organisation. He was indicted in September and faces ten to 20 years in prison if found guilty of these crimes.
He has also denied these charges.
Georgescu won the first round of the Romanian presidential elections in November last year, in a sign that the EU member state was joining the trend in the region towards far-right populism.
Following his unexpected success, the Constitutional Court in December ordered a rerun of the vote, citing alleged manipulation of public opinion by a “foreign state”, likely referring to Russia.
Georgescu, known for his advocacy of sovereignty and traditional social values, was banned from participating in the re-run in May.
