AUR leader, George Simion, investigated by CNCD for using the word “paraplegic” to address President Nicușor Dan
The National Council for Combating Discrimination is investigating the AUR leader, George Simion, as a result of a notification received on Friday. George Simion is accused of using the term “paraplegic” in a pejorative sense, referring to the president Nicuşor Dan, in a speech held at a meeting in Azomureş, Thursday, April 23.
George Simion, leader of AUR PHOTO: AFP
“Unfortunately, Romania is not governed at the moment. We have an individual in Cotroceni, a paraplegic, who, instead of worrying about the Azomureş crisis, has a problem with the AUR and his only concern is that the AUR should not be called for consultations and that the AUR should not discuss with the other parties. I promise that I will deal with him tomorrow (Friday, April 24 – no) in a public reaction”. declared Simion in front of the audience, appearance also published on social networks.
The interim vice-president of the CNCD, Cătălin Raiu, said that the institution received a notification regarding the statements of George Simion in which it is shown that, through the statements made, he stigmatized a certain category that needs medical care, causing damage to the image of those who suffer from this disease, News writes.
According to the procedure, the CNCD has the obligation to analyze the request and give a verdict if it was a form of discrimination.
The fine that the AUR leader risks is between 2000 lei and 50 thousand lei.
Raiu stated that because the institution will give the parties the opportunity to prepare their accusation, respectively the defense, and that he estimates that this stage will last approximately one and a half months. Due to the lack of personnel, the completion of the sanctioning procedure can even take up to two years, Raiu said.
Simion's statements appear in a context of political tensions between the government and the opposition, the AUR leader criticizing the activity of the head of state and the way in which he manages the political dialogue.
This is not the first episode of this type. In the past, the AUR leader was publicly criticized for similar statements, including the use of offensive labels against Nicusor Dan during the election campaign and afterwards, provoking reactions from civil society and public institutions.
Civil society representatives and officials have repeatedly condemned such slips, stressing that public discourse must respect standards of decency and avoid stigmatizing certain categories of people.
Simion sent, through the press office of the AUR, that he will return with clarifications in a live broadcast on Friday evening, at 9:00 p.m.
