Romanian MEP slams ‘JEWS AND AMERICANS’ after ban from presidential race

Romania’s top court removed far-right MEP Diana Șoșoăca from the list of presidential candidates without explaining why — triggering an outraged antisemitic response Sunday from the pro-Russia lawmaker.

Șoșoăca, eccentric leader of the ultra-nationalist S.O.S Romania, was elected to the European Parliament in June. She has previously called for the EU to stop providing weapons to Kyiv and even said Romania should annex some Ukrainian territories.

Shortly after being elected as an MEP in the June election, she proposed summoning a priest to sanctify the European Parliament premises and cleanse it of “devils.”

And during the debate on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s reelection for a new term in July, Șoșoăca had to be escorted out of the Strasbourg chamber at the request of President Roberta Metsola after shouting and interrupting speeches.

Following her removal from the ballot for this winter’s presidential election, Șoșoăca called for a protest in front of the Romanian Constitutional Court, accusing the EU, Jews and Americans of plotting against her.

“MESSAGE TO JEWS AND AMERICANS AND FRENCH ETC.: I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU! I WILL NOT STOP! I WILL NOT BE SILENT! YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME AND EVEN THEN I WILL NOT BE SILENT, FOR MY VOICE SHALL REAR FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE!” Șoșoăca wrote (yes, all caps) on her website.

Romania’s two-round presidential election will take place on November 24 and December 8. Recent polls show that the race will be tight, suggesting that the country’s current socialist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu (20.3 percent) and independent former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană (21.4 percent) will move forward to the second round. Around 13.6 percent of people would vote for Șoșoăca, which put her in fourth place at the time.

Șoșoăca’s removal could boost the election prospects of another far-right leader, George Simion from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), who was polling at 12 percent.

While the ruling is final and Șoșoăca can’t appeal according to local media, the nine-member court is politically appointed, which led some politicians — including opponents of Șoșoăca — to demand an explanation.

“I believe that the [court] must swiftly present the reasoning behind this ruling and that it must contain strong legal and constitutional arguments … otherwise we are talking about a vulnerability of the democratic system in Romania,” Ciolacu said in a post on Facebook.