The far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians Party, or AUR, is set to hold a massive rally on Saturday, November 14, in front of the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, in support of detained former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, according to an announcement made by AUR leader George Simion on Monday, November 9.
The rally will take place even if it does not receive authorization from the Bucharest City Hall, Simion said, with party members providing the bulk of those attending.
Simion also issued a warning to those considering infiltrating people into the weekend protest, telling them not to play games with Romanians’ right to protest.
“Romanians have the right to protest peacefully. They should not try to infiltrate violent people among the participants and create diversions, because it is the responsibility of the law enforcement forces, the Gendarmerie, the Police, and Bucharest City Hall to maintain public order,” the AUR leader also said.
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In the same message, Simion accused state representatives of being afraid of the upcoming protest and of having tried to put pressure on organizers to cancel it. He also announced that he would publicly invite the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party “to attend as observers, without getting involved.”
“They should observe the street movements taking place in Bucharest and help us internationalize this issue,” Simion also said.
AUR, which is popular among the Romanian diaspora, styled itself as an ally of AfD, even though Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right German party, recently said that “more and more migrants from Romania are plundering our welfare system.”
Repeated violence
AUR-backed rallies have become violent in the past. In March 2025, supporters of Călin Georgescu became violent with police forces after his candidacy was invalidated by the Central Electoral Bureau. Some threw stones, firecrackers, and bottles at security forces, while others started fires and even flipped over a car of a local news station. Several gendarmes were injured.
In September, AUR supported a shepherd’s protest in Bucharest that became violent as well.
In reply to Simion’s announcement, the Romanian Gendarmerie said it supports the exercise of the right to peaceful protest but has flagged “concrete risks” related to the November 14 demonstration outside Parliament, for which authorization was not granted.
Context
Călin Georgescu was the surprise first-place finisher in the first round of Romania’s 2024 presidential election, which was annulled by the Constitutional Court.
On September 29, he was detained in a fraud case. According to DIICOT prosecutors, businessman Răzvan Leu allegedly suffered losses of EUR 1.1 million following a precious metals deal and a loan that never materialized. In late October, the court extended Georgescu’s detention in the same case.
Georgescu is also being investigated for legionary propaganda and an attempted coup in separate files.
The politician’s supporters, including those in the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians party (AUR), currently quoted with around 34% support among the public, believe Georgescu’s accusation is politically motivated. As such, they have congregated around the Central Detention Center in Bucharest, where he is held, protesting night and day.
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