Noua Dreaptă (English: The New Right) is an ultranationalist, far-right organization in Romania and Moldova, founded in 2000. The party claims to be the successor to the far-right Iron Guard, with its aesthetics and ideology being directly influenced by the fascist movement and its leader, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.[20]

New Right
Noua Dreaptă
AbbreviationND
LeaderTudor Ionescu
Founded2000 (2000) (as NGO)
2015 (2015) (as party)
HeadquartersBucharest
Ideology
Political positionFar-right[17][18]
ReligionRomanian Orthodox Church
National affiliationNational Identity Bloc in Europe
European affiliationAlliance for Peace and Freedom
Colours  Green
  White
SloganOrthodoxy and Nationalism[19]
Senate
0 / 136
Chamber of Deputies
0 / 330
European Parliament
0 / 33
Mayors
0 / 3,176
County Councilors
0 / 1,340
Local Council Councilors
2 / 39,900
Party flag
Website
nouadreapta.org
A political sticker displaying the Celtic cross and the words "identitate națională, revoluție spirituală" (national identity, spiritual revolution).

Proclaiming itself as "radical, militant, nationalist and Christian Orthodox", Noua Dreaptă supports a merger of Romania and Moldova.[21]

Beliefs

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Former party logo
 
Former party flag

The group's beliefs include militant ultranationalism and strong Orthodox Christian religious convictions. Noua Dreaptă's website[22] indicates opposition to: sexual minorities, Roma (Gypsies), abortion, communism, globalization, the European Union, NATO, religious groups other than the Eastern Orthodox Church, race-mixing, territorial autonomy for Romania's ethnic Hungarian minority and immoderate cultural import (including some American culture, manele music, and the celebration of Valentine's Day and Halloween). They are against both Marxism and capitalism, following the third positionist ideology.

The members of Noua Dreaptă revere the leader of the Iron Guard in the 1930s, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Noua Dreaptă members refer to him as "Căpitanul" ("The Captain"), which is what Codreanu's supporters called him during his lifetime.

Affiliations

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Noua Dreaptă was part of the European National Front, an umbrella group of far-right nationalist organizations, many of which can be characterized as Fascist. The Noua Dreaptă web site includes a column of "links of interest" to numerous extreme nationalist organizations throughout Europe, including the following:

Noua Dreaptă is also reported[citation needed] to have had ties with the following political groups:

As of 30 May 2018, Noua Dreaptă is a member of the Alliance for Peace and Freedom. The AFP is a far-right and ultranationalist European political party that also includes Forza Nuova, National Democratic Party of Germany, Kotleba – People's Party Our Slovakia and National Democracy among others.[28]

Extremist reputation

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Stamp bearing the symbol of the Iron Guard over a green cross that stood for one of its humanitarian ventures.

Noua Dreaptă uses imagery associated with legionarism, the ideology of the nationalist and anti-Semitic interwar Iron Guard, which roughly paralleled the Fascist and Nazi movements in Italy and Germany, respectively. The group's symbol, for example — the Celtic cross (usually drawn on a green background) — is reminiscent of the insignia of the Iron Guard. Due to its imagery's uses and its methods, the party is sometimes described as neo-Nazi by news outlets.[29]

Noua Dreaptă has aligned itself with organizations elsewhere in Europe with strongly anti-Semitic views,[30] although it has not focused its efforts against Romania's currently small Jewish community. Rather, the group has concentrated its rhetoric and efforts against the ethnic Hungarians, Roma (Gypsies), sexual minorities[31] and minority religious faiths.[32]

Its anti-democratic and anti-constitutional views and statements made them a permanent target of surveillance by the Directorate for the Defense of the Constitution, a department of the domestic intelligence service.[citation needed]

Political rallies

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In May 2006, dozens of Noua Dreaptă members were detained by police after protesting the GayFest pride parade in Bucharest.[33] Police also used tear gas to disperse counterprotesters led by individuals identified as Noua Dreaptă members.[citation needed]

On 15 March 2008, on the National Day of Hungary, Noua Dreaptă organized an anti-Hungarian rally in Cluj-Napoca — an action which, after group members attacked and beat an ethnic Hungarian celebrator, led UDMR leader Béla Markó to criticize Cluj's mayor Emil Boc for approving it. In addition, two ethnic Hungarian members of the Romanian Parliament demanded the banning of Noua Dreaptă on the grounds that it continues Iron Guard's spirit.[34]

Electoral history

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Tudor Ionescu, leader of the Noua Dreaptă party

Legislative elections

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Election Chamber Senate Position Aftermath
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
2016 did not compete Extra-parliamentary opposition to PSD-ALDE government (2017–2019)
Extra-parliamentary opposition to PSD minority government (2019)
Extra-parliamentary opposition to PNL minority government (2019–2020)
2020 3,551 0.06
0 / 329
4,345 0.07
0 / 136
 29th  Extra-parliamentary opposition to PNL-USR PLUS-UDMR government (2020–2021)

Local elections

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Election County Councilors (CJ) Mayors Local Councilors (CL) Popular vote % Position
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
2016
0 / 1,434
0 / 3,186
4 / 40,067
N/A
2020 did not compete
0 / 1,340
984 0.01
0 / 3,176
2,056 0.03
2 / 39,900
 73rd 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Extremiștii de la Noua Dreaptă își fac partid • Rise Project". 8 July 2015.
  2. ^ "2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Romania", US Department of State, February 25, 2009
  3. ^ "Fasciștii de la Noua Dreaptă vor miting împotriva homosexualilor, la Constanța". 10 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Totok, William (26 March 2018). "Între legionarism deghizat şi naţionalism-autoritar". Radio Europa Liberă.
  5. ^ "Romanian Ultra-Nationalists Establish Anti-Hungarian, Far-Right Political Party". 5 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Tinerii nationalisti banateni de la Noua Dreapta Timisoara i-au omagiat pe Eroii Rezistentei Anticomuniste | OpiniaTimisoarei.ro". 17 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Соборная мечеть в Бухаресте раздражает исламофобов".
  8. ^ "Noua Dreaptă avertizează dur pe Klaus Iohannis: "Declarațiile făcute în Turcia cu privire la construirea celei mai mari moschei dovedesc un servilism ruşinos. Protestele vor continua" | NapocaNews". 24 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Manifestaţie împotriva construirii Mega Moscheii la Bucureşti. Mitingul a fost organizat de Noua Dreaptă". 20 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Noua Dreapta iese-n strada impotriva refugiatilor: Miting miercuri, la Universitate".
  11. ^ "Marş organizat de Noua Dreaptă la Cluj-Napoca". 13 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Marş organizat de Noua Dreaptă împotriva imigrației".
  13. ^ "Partidul Noua Dreaptă se opune colonizării la Galaţi a imigranţilor din Grecia şi Italia | NapocaNews". 2 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Melodie rap dedicată unui partid naționalist – Noua Dreaptă | NapocaNews". 15 August 2019.
  15. ^ "FOTO "Marşul Normalităţii" organizat de Noua Dreaptă: Câteva sute de participanţi, unii îmbrăcaţi în port popular, purtând icoane şi pancarte cu mesaje anti-LGBT, dar şi împotriva persoanelor publice care susţin comunitatea LGBT". 14 August 2021.
  16. ^ Vago, Raphael (2003). "Anti-Semitic Media in Post-Communist Romania". Kesher (33): 108–115. JSTOR 23919091.
  17. ^ Uwe Backes, Patrick Moreau (2012). Against all expectations. The Extreme Right in Europe: Current Trends and Perspectives. ISBN 9783647369228. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Gay pride à Bucarest sur fond de mouvement anti-mariages homosexuels" (in French). Le Point. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. ^ Ghirda, Vadim; Gera, Vanessa (22 August 2021). "Romania's LGBT community sees gains, ongoing rights struggle". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  20. ^ Totok, William (26 March 2018). "Între legionarism deghizat şi naţionalism-autoritar". Radio Europa Liberă.
  21. ^ "The far-right undertones of Romanian politics". Deutsche Welle. December 20, 2011. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  22. ^ "Partidul Noua Dreaptă". nouadreapta.org. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Danskernes Parti besøgte Rumænien" Archived 2016-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, in Corneliu Codreanus monument 3 December 2013 (in Romanian)
  24. ^ "MNC". mncbasarabia.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Български Национален Съюз - Начало". bg.bgns.net. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Conception | Russkiy Obraz (Russian Mode)". rus-obraz.net. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  27. ^ ЕСМ и румынские неонацисты объединились для борьбы против государства Украина, Lenta: Transdniestrian News Agency, 09/05/2009, accessed 15.05.2009
  28. ^ Pühse, Jens. "Milan Congress and Meeting". APF.
  29. ^ "Romania: Right-wing extremists target German mayor". Deutsche Welle. January 19, 2022.
  30. ^ "Support-Page".
  31. ^ NOUA DREAPTA :: Pentru Dumnezeu, Neam si Tara ! (in English)
  32. ^ 2003 International Religious Freedom Report (Romania) — from U.S. State Department web site
  33. ^ "World Crises". Reuters.[dead link]
  34. ^ "Noua Dreaptă, subiect de dispută între Boc şi UDMR", in Evenimentul Zilei 17 March 2008 (in Romanian)
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