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Romanian top court overturns president's challenge to hate speech bill
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Romania's court upheld a hate speech bill, rejecting the president's challenge. The bill targets antisemitism and xenophobia, with historical and political implications.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania's top court on Thursday struck down a challenge brought by centrist President Nicusor Dan against a bill seeking harsher punishment for antisemitism and hate speech after a divisive election in which the far right gained ground.
Parliament updated legislation outlawing the celebration of fascist leaders or imagery in June, introducing prison sentences for the promotion of antisemitism and xenophobia via social media platforms.
The bill also increases jail terms for creating or belonging to racist organisations.
However, the president argued the bill did not properly define fascists, which would lead to judges interpreting the law arbitrarily. The court unanimously ruled against his objections.
An annual report released by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania on Wednesday said the country's election season was marked by a sharp increase of hate speech and aggression against Jewish, Roma, Hungarian and LGBT minorities - while also noting authorities were more actively enforcing legislation.
Romania cancelled a presidential election in December after allegations of Russian interference – denied by Moscow - in favour of far-right contender Calin Georgescu, who was later banned from running in the May re-run and has since been sent to trial for promoting Romania's wartime fascist leaders. He has denied all wrongdoing.
Romania had one of Europe's most violent antisemitic movements of the 1930s, the Iron Guard, known for political assassinations and pogroms. The country was also an ally of Nazi Germany until August 1944, when it changed sides.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie;Editing by Alison Williams)
Legislation is a law or a set of laws enacted by a governing body, such as a parliament or congress, to regulate behavior and maintain order within a society.
Antisemitism is hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews. It can manifest in various forms, including social exclusion, hate speech, and violence.
A prison sentence is a legal punishment imposed by a court, requiring an individual to serve time in prison for committing a crime.
Racist organizations are groups that promote ideologies based on racial superiority or discrimination, often advocating for the exclusion or oppression of certain racial or ethnic groups.
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