It’s hard to remove the football gallery from George Simion’s heart and mind. What happened on Tuesday in Victory Square will tighten even more the sanitary cordon around the extremist party, which once again failed the test of peaceful demonstrations.
AUR was built on screams and violence, and its leader was trained as a provocateur, used in Romania and Moldova to create and develop tensions and political crises.
An unauthorized protest by farmers and sheep breeders in front of the Government was the perfect opportunity to generate a violence outbreak in Bucharest, with the aim of worsening the political, social, and economic instability in Romania.
What happened once again shows that the AUR leaders have completely different plans and objectives than governing a country according to democratic rules and principles, respecting Romania's European and Western alliances and partnerships.
George Simion's goal is chaos, which is why he is banned from entering Moldova and Ukraine, being considered a threat to the security of both countries.
Bobby D, visiting Bucharest
In the morning of September 15, parallel to the farmers' protest, the AUR leadership announced that they were organizing an "Open Day" at the party's headquarters, located at 8A Iancu de Hunedoara Boulevard, in an office building, a few hundred meters from Victory Square.
"I don't believe in coincidences and I have respect for farmers. I say this from the beginning, in the context of the unclaimed and unauthorized farmers' protest in front of the Government and the 'open doors day' at the AUR headquarters," wrote Cristi Tabără, TVR presenter, on his Facebook page.
"At the same time, AUR opens its doors to the fans brought by buses, as if by chance. It's hard to say how many of AUR's fans dedicate their lives to sheep, just like the party leaders, flanked by Georgescu," he commented.
"One thing is certain, AUR wants all those who disagree with the Government to cross the party's threshold to see the traces of patriotic sweat on the floors bearing the marks of toilers for the good of the sheep," added the TVR presenter ironically.
On Tuesday morning, Bucharest also had the honor of hosting "content creator" Bobby D, originally from Constanța, a vocal supporter of Russia and PSD propaganda.
Attacks and aggressions, acts of vandalism, are unacceptable and must be severely punished according to the law. No dissatisfaction can justify such behavior and endangering other citizens in the street. Equally serious and condemnable is the incitement to violence and the attempts of irresponsible politicians to artificially amplify social tension to divert a legitimate protest stemming from legitimate grievances.
Nicușor Dan, President of Romania, reaction to the violence in Victory Square
He also came to the protest, and in a video made in Victory Square, he was intrigued by the fact that the Bucharest residents were going about their business calmly, without paying any attention to the "rally" hijacked by AUR and Georgists.
"I was watching the Bucharest residents, they were so relaxed, while people came to complain about what's happening in the country...," he said, recounting his journey by metro.
"People were going to work, Bobby D. Simply going to work. But how would you know what work is? You, with the money from PSD and Russia, manage even without a job...," reacted journalist Carmen Dumitrescu to the pro-Russian propagandist's video.
The strategy of confiscating protests
In fact, the indifference noted by the Kremlin influencer is the major problem for George Simion and AUR. In Bucharest, no one cares about Călin Georgescu and the extremist instigators who have hijacked the tricolor.
All attempts at protests, rallies, all AUR's and associated formations' attempts to create chaos in the capital over the past year and a half have been failures.
To flex his muscles, Simion finds himself forced to latch onto the grievances of certain social categories, such as the situation with the unions when they protested against the unified salary law, and now with the animal breeders affected by the ban on exports due to the ovine variola epidemic.
The violence in Bucharest, the extremists taking over the protest, is yet another proof that the influence networks in the country connected to the Kremlin are not interested in political negotiations, "cleansing AUR," or possible political alliances of the party to become relevant in the power system or to govern.
Russia is at war and has no time for nuances. The sole purpose is to install a violent situation and paralyze the authorities' actions. Partially achieved.
Parliamentary elections, getting closer
On the other hand, George Simion is a political leader without strategic thinking, just a good executor. He realized too late that he fell into a trap and that there is a possibility that the fear spread among the city residents could turn against him.
"I urge farmers and all protesters to manifest themselves peacefully, calmly, and responsibly. I also call on law enforcement to act with restraint and professionalism. We must not fall into the trap of provocateurs or foreign interests trying to divide us and discredit this legitimate struggle...," announced the AUR leader shortly after the outbreak of violence.
He couldn't name Russia, but he wanted to take safety measures to avoid being accused of conspiring with a foreign entity against Romania if the situation were to escalate.
If Sorin Grindeanu or other wise men from PSD, such as Neacșu and Tudose, had any thoughts of aligning with AUR after Tuesday's episode at the Government, their plan just became riskier.
Whether the President of Romania wants it or not, the country is heading towards elections. It is very difficult to stop in the current political context. Just as Nicușor Dan hinted, organizing the election will be a lengthy process, with voting possible at the beginning of next year.