Romania: The way in which the online law of America has become obsessed with a European country with low profile

CNN
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Romania, a country with the eastern edge of Europe, is perhaps a surprising focus for a new American administration whose foreign policy priorities include the end of the war in Ukraineremodeling middle east and extending American territory.

Accustomed to flying under the radar, many in the country were amazed by the interest of the Trump administration for his policy, which rarely attracts international attention.

“It was unprecedented,” said Oana Popescu-Zamfir, the director of Globalfocus Center, a think-tank, Bucharest. She said that she cannot remember a period of the post-Soviet history of Romania, that her businesses were so closely examined.

Attention focused on Calin GeorgescuAn ultra -nationalist candidate for the Kremlin in the abruptly aborted presidential elections of Romania last year and Andrew TateA celebrity “handlebar” accused of rape and trafficking of people by the Romanian authorities, accusations they deny.

The two men do not have much in common, but their claims to have been subject to a “witch hunt” by the corrupt liberal institutions – President Donald Trump – helped to transform Célèbres into American conservative circles and made an enemy of the Romanian state.

In Georgescu, online law sees a politician with unorthodox visions, an electoral victory over the fragile claims of “foreign interference” being refused. In the dads, he sees an influential man who is experiencing charges to cut it. And in Romania, he sees the coarse case of what JD Vance called “the threat in Europe”.

The two men amplified the request of the US Vice -President. As Romania raised the travel restrictions on the father-following the American pressure-the self-proclaimed misogynist influence emphasized that the accusations against him were false, comparing his legal problems with those of Trump.

“Remember what they did to Trump. Remember -his accusations. Remember that you called him a convicted way … He was innocent, “said Tate in a video Recorded from a Sunlounge from Florida. “The greatest men in history have suffered this tariff (sic) and slander,” he said in a post, listing Trump with Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X.

Georgescu, who was practically unknown before Romania’s elections, also compared the statements made about his election campaign with those about Trump.

The former scientist of the 62-year-old soil is opposed to sending the aid to Ukraine, calls Russian President Vladimir Putin a “patriot” and expressed sympathy with the fascist leadership of Romania during World War II, unexpectedly won the vote of the first round. But the Constitutional Court canceled The elections after the declassified information reports discovered a possible Russian interference in the Georgescu’s Tiktok campaign, which Moscow denied.

After the prosecutors accused him of setting up a fascist group and other crimes, which he denies, the Electoral Bureau forbid Georgescu to stay in the May resumption of American conservatives and caused violent protests in Bucharest.

“It has nothing to do with (Russia),” Georgescu told Fox News last week. “It’s just a copy of Donald Trump’s accusations.”

While Dad champion for a long time on Trump, Georgescu is a newer convert. Like last summer, Georgescu publicly despised US president and the spread of conspiracy theories about Vance.

But Georgescu soon felt an opportunity to “travel the Trump Wave,” said Corneliu Bjola, professor of digital diplomacy at the University of Oxford.

“(Georgescu) was inspired by a style of political discourse that seems to work without rules -marked by conspiracy thinking, misinformation and personal attacks against opponents,” Bjola told CNN.

“Trump’s apparent legal immunity, despite his association with the insurrection of January 6 and numerous political and personal scandals, further inspires (El and) strengthens a” victim’s narrative, “he added.

But, while the courtyard, Trump, seemed to benefit from both men, it is less clear why some of Trump’s deputies tried to propel Georgescu to power and, apparently, used the diplomatic capital to release his father and his brother, Tristan.

Last month, The Financial Times reported, by leaving, that Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, pressed to Romania’s Foreign Minister to ease the restrictions on the Tate brothers during the discussions at the Munich Security Conference. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania told CNN that there is no “any pressure, no requests” in discussions. Grenell also denied Romanian officials.

Less than two weeks after the conference, the Romanian authorities have raised a travel prohibition on Tats. The pair was accused of forming a criminal band and human trafficking, and Andrew was accused of rape. In another probe, both are investigated for money laundering. Have denied offenses.

“Why did you free these people? They are accused of horrible things, “Bjola asked, saying it is a” bad aspect “for both countries. “The US used to defend themselves Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Lech WalesaThese types of people – and, from a time, defend the alleged sexual predators. ”

When asked about the return of dads to the US, Trump said he does not know “anything” in this regard.

Others said that they were not surprised by the reported efforts of the Trump administration to release the dads.

“Trump and Maga are a very transactional group. If you do something to help them, they will do something to help you, ”said Jamie Tahsin, a documentary producer who has reported about tits for years.

“It’s red meat at the base,” Tahsin told CNN. “They can say,” Look, here’s another example about the place where the media, the legal system and the governments armed the law against a person, because they do not like the things they say -as was the case with Trump. ”

Dads are expected to return to Romania for their next appearance in court at the end of this month, but some are doubtful if they will voluntarily do so or if Washington will force them.

“There is this general understanding in America right now, if you are on Trump’s side … You will be fine, no matter what you have done,” Tahsin said.

Standoff with Brussels

Georgescu has also proved to be valuable for the Trump administration, the analysts say. In his Blistering Munich speechVance sang Romania as an example of democratic return to Europe.

“If your democracy can be destroyed by several hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it was not very strong to start,” said Vance, pillar to annul his elections.

Marietje Schaake, a colleague of the Cyber ​​Policy Center of Stanford, told CNN that American law has transformed Georgescu into a “symbol of what is not right with European democracy”, which “falls into their wider agenda to weaken the European Union.”

After showing little interest in the block in his first term, Trump claimed that the EU was created only to “screw US” and threatened the block with huge rates.

Euroskeptic Georgescu has been laionized by American conservatives who share Trump’s Ireland to Brussels. While Georgescu interviews a podcast, the theorist of the conspiracy Alex Jones He said that the electoral cancellation was “one of the most empty couples I have seen in the last 100 years – and I study history.”

Mario NawfalAnother “Manosphere” influencer who interviewed Georgescu, said that the authorities’ attempts to stop him was “exactly the playground they tried against Trump.”

In addition to undermining confidence in elections, Popescu-Zamfir said that Georgescu helps the Trump administration, because the more the world seems to be ideologically aligned with their beliefs and practices, the more (Trump) is reconfirmed at home. ”

Intense online profiling and chaos after postponement of the elections left Romania to revolve. Many are outraged that Georgescu cannot work in May, while others are dismayed by the fact that Tats may not face justice.

The experience of being caught in the US right-wing crossings led to a strange irony, said Popescu-Zamfir.

Since the collapse of communism in 1989, Romania has often needed Washington direction to remain its Euro-Atlantic course. “But now, this is the first time in 35 years, since the change of the regime, that the Romanian state … has decided to stay on the pro-European, pro-democratic path, not because of the external pressure, but despite it,” she said.

While the country’s institutions could have resisted the storm so far, Bjola, Oxford, said that Romanian politicians have not yet explained why Georgescu forbade him to lead, which could provide fertile land for conspiracy.

“(Their silence) has extraordinary costs in a digital era, because if you do not talk about what happened, this vid will be completed by Russian and internal actors who have a different agenda,” he said.