Noua Dreaptă Explained

New Right
Native Name:Noua Dreaptă
Abbreviation:ND
Leader:Tudor Ionescu
Foundation: (as NGO)
(as party)
Headquarters:Bucharest
Position:Far-right[1] [2]
Religion:Romanian Orthodox Church
Slogan:Orthodoxy and Nationalism[3]
National:National Identity Bloc in Europe
European:Alliance for Peace and Freedom
Colours: Green
White
Seats1 Title:Senate
Seats2 Title:Chamber of Deputies
Seats3 Title:European Parliament
Seats4 Title:Mayors
Seats5 Title:County Councilors
Seats6 Title:Local Council Councilors
Country:Romania

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.[4]

Proclaiming itself as "radical, militant, nationalist and Christian Orthodox", Noua Dreaptă supports a merger of Romania and Moldova.[5]

Beliefs

The group's beliefs include militant ultranationalism and strong Orthodox Christian religious convictions. Noua Dreaptă's website[6] 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

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 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.[12]

Extremist reputation

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.[13]

Noua Dreaptă has aligned itself with organizations elsewhere in Europe with strongly anti-Semitic views,[14] 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[15] and minority religious faiths.[16]

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.

Political rallies

In May 2006, dozens of Noua Dreaptă members were detained by police after protesting the GayFest pride parade in Bucharest.[17] Police also used tear gas to disperse counterprotesters led by individuals identified as Noua Dreaptă members.

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.[18]

Electoral history

Legislative elections

ElectionChamberSenatePositionAftermath
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
2016did not compete (2017–2019)
(2019)
(2019–2020)
20203,5510.064,3450.07 (2020–2021)

Local elections

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Against all expectations. 5 July 2014. Uwe Backes, Patrick Moreau. 2012. The Extreme Right in Europe: Current Trends and Perspectives. 9783647369228.
  2. News: fr. Gay pride à Bucarest sur fond de mouvement anti-mariages homosexuels. Le Point. 25 June 2016. 24 October 2018.
  3. News: Ghirda . Vadim . Gera . Vanessa . 22 August 2021 . Romania's LGBT community sees gains, ongoing rights struggle . ABC News . Associated Press . 7 September 2022.
  4. News: Între legionarism deghizat şi naţionalism-autoritar. Radio Europa Liberă. 26 March 2018 . Totok . William .
  5. News: December 20, 2011 . The far-right undertones of Romanian politics . 2022-05-28 . Deutsche Welle . en-GB.
  6. Web site: Partidul Noua Dreaptă . nouadreapta.org . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180831140118/http://www.nouadreapta.org/ . 31 August 2018 . dead.
  7. http://danskernesparti.dk/archives/4647/ "Danskernes Parti besøgte Rumænien"
  8. Web site: MNC . mncbasarabia.org . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727091224/http://mncbasarabia.org/ . 27 July 2011 . dead.
  9. Web site: Български Национален Съюз - Начало . bg.bgns.net . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100914164131/http://bg.bgns.net/ . 14 September 2010 . dead.
  10. Web site: Conception | Russkiy Obraz (Russian Mode) . rus-obraz.net . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110103020824/http://www.rus-obraz.net/en/ . 3 January 2011 . dead.
  11. http://www.tiras.ru/evrazija/8805-esm-i-rumynskie-neonacisty-obedinilis.html ЕСМ и румынские неонацисты объединились для борьбы против государства Украина
  12. News: Milan Congress and Meeting . APF . Jens. Pühse.
  13. News: Romania: Right-wing extremists target German mayor . Deutsche Welle . January 19, 2022.
  14. Web site: Support-Page.
  15. http://www.nouadreapta.org/limbistraine_prezentare.php?idx=24&lmb=eng NOUA DREAPTA :: Pentru Dumnezeu, Neam si Tara !
  16. https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24429.htm 2003 International Religious Freedom Report (Romania)
  17. News: World Crises . Reuters.
  18. http://evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/795943/Noua-Dreapta-subiect-de-disputa-intre-Boc-si-UDMR/ "Noua Dreaptă, subiect de dispută între Boc şi UDMR"