George Simion made a name for himself as an anti-establishment activist and a militant for the unification of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, first with “Noii Golani” (The New Rascals), then with “Acțiunea 2012” (Action 2012). His collaborators from back then claim that the leader of AUR manipulated and lied to them in order to achieve his goals. They accuse Simion of violence, using minors and the destruction of the unionist movement. Others say that he would disappear for days, only to return with ready-made plans for future actions.
Fighting off Russia’ hybrid attacks, Moldova needs a good relationship with Romania. However, several presidential candidates have promoted a sovereignist, even pro-Russian discourse, and one of them was declared persona non grata in the Republic of Moldova.
Nicolae Ceaușescu, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and Ion Antonescu have tens of thousands of followers on TikTok, and their videos account for only a fraction of those that promote extremist discourse and false narratives.
