Does George Simion want to be Nelson Mandela or Nelson the World?

A large popular demonstration in Constitution Square prepared by the radical opposition, vocally led by George Simion and supported by tens of thousands of sympathizers mobilized in recent days, online - on TikTok and Facebook - aims to overshadow the swearing-in ceremony of Nicuşor Dan as President of Romania, scheduled for today.

This protest is based on the messages sent by George Simion, on his blog, during the past week, in which he launched direct appeals to supporters, urging them to "come down from the stands and get into the game". Moreover, the AUR leader emphasized the importance of social networks as weapons in the political struggle and denounced the traditional press as a tool of the system, stating that the only real way to communicate with the people is through their own channels. George Simion spoke of "a movement with substance", which no longer has time for passivity, and clearly announced: AUR parliamentarians will not participate in the inauguration ceremony nor in the process of forming the new government, which he considers illegitimate.

But here is what George Simion said, Tuesday, May 20: "All those who sided with my candidate knowingly, out of malice, for money or for other reasons, will regret it. They will not be punished by us, but time and God will arrange everything! (...) Our parliamentarians announced today a first sanction for the puppet president they want to install at Cotroceni. We will not participate in the inauguration and we will not participate in their forms of justification for the takeover, supposedly democratic, of power, in the hearing of ministers and the inauguration of the new government. We are doing this because Nicuşor Dan has repeatedly said that he will negotiate and hold discussions for the formation of the new Government only with the parties that supported him. And you have seen, dear friends, that indeed all the parties have put themselves behind the so-called independent. The entire system. These addresses will be directly addressed to you, through our own means of communication, not through the majority of the press that at this moment It belongs to the system, it is bought, it is a government press, in the sense that no voice of the opposition can be treated equitably by these people who call themselves "journalists".

Later, after the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected his appeal and request to annul the presidential elections on Thursday, George Simion stated on his blog: "We live in times when we are the media - every post, every redistribution, every comment counts and rebalances the balance with the system's media. If we want to win the battles ahead, we need to get off the stands and get into the game. Social media has more impact than ever, but for our movement to have substance, we need everyone's involvement. There is no more time to sit on the sidelines, it is time to be part of the change if we want to win the battles ahead. Sitting in the stands is easier, now is the time to get into the game! Come join us! So my message to those who see the injustice that has happened to us is one of struggle."

This tough stance was doubled in the following days by incendiary messages circulating on TikTok and Facebook, where calls for mobilization reached dramatic levels. TikTok users such as Vitadibimbo1 and mihaitavld18 transformed the moment into a call for the "last protest", invoking a kind of national crusade: "we would rather die for Romania than for Ukraine", "they stole our elections, they want to steal our souls". There is talk of a "revolution" in front of the Constitutional Court, of "bad signs" in the sky and of historical betrayals. The sense of injustice and urgency dominates all the messages: "Romania, wake up! Now or never".

The accusations are serious and direct: fraudulent elections, rigged ballot boxes, bought votes. The CCR is accused of having endorsed a "historical theft" by rejecting the AUR appeals, and Nicuşor Dan is labeled a "puppet president", supported by "the entire system". In this context, George Simion appears as a messianic leader, who fights "bare-chested", alongside symbolic figures like Călin Georgescu.

The user Vitadibimbo1 states on TikTok: "Hey sovereignists, who are you? Rather than die for Ukraine, we would rather die for Romania, on the 26th in Bucharest. We, the sovereignists, will not give up. There were more than 5 million of us. On the 26th, at 2 pm, we will go out to fight, we will not stand aside. The 26th at the CCR, the last protest. We, the Romanian people, are obliged to defend the country from thieves. We have to do it."

Another user of the same network, raul.filip20, claims, presenting a red sky, because of the sunset: "May 26 will be woe and bitter. Everyone in the streets, united. Bad signs come from the sky. Look at how the sky is today, on May 22. This is blood. Signs, good people. The sky is red. Bad signs."

But the harshest and most mobilizing message is posted on TikTok by user mihaitavld18: "Romanian, wake up. Wake up now, because tomorrow may be too late. They took your bread, they took your justice, they stole your elections and now they want to steal your soul. The Constitutional Court, the Constitutional Court, today signed a historic shame. It rejected the request to annul deeply rigged elections. And not just anyhow, but with clear evidence brought by George Simion. (...) And what did the system do? It brought Moldovans who were paid to vote. It rigged the ballot boxes, it turned reality inside out. They spat in our faces with a smile on their faces. (...) You, traitors of nation and country, who have put the stamp on the destruction of Romania, shame on you! (...) We don't have time anymore. We don't have the luxury of passivity anymore. Either we rise up, or we disappear! George Simion fights with an empty chest! Călin Georgescu is the voice our conscience! (...) On May 26th we don't just choose some people. We choose between slavery and freedom. Between dignity and humiliation. Between truth and the dirtiest lie. Romania can only be reborn if we wake up from the numbness of fear. We must shout in the streets, online, in front of Parliament: enough! (...) Romania, wake up! Romania, stand up! Now or never".

The calls to action are not just metaphorical. Comments like those of user Alessandra, who says that "we must enter Parliament by force", or the promise of a group of 60 people from Iaşi to physically participate in the protests, amplify the risk that May 26th will not just be a day of civic expression, but a moment with explosive potential. Moreover, user alice.maria9736 writes: "Revolution. May 26th, Bucharest, 5 million in the streets. And so we have nothing left to lose. They stole from us in front of us and with the evidence on the table". Meanwhile, TikTok user niculaeniku, who is also an FCSB fan, posts: "Dear Romanians, wake up! Now while there is still time, war is knocking on our door, on the 26th let's all take to the streets. Now or never!".

And the messages above are not something disparate, but TikTok has been invaded by many such calls for uprising conceived by fans of George Simion and Călin Georgescu, that is, the exact people who claimed to be campaigning for social peace.

Regarding the above situation, the elected and validated president, Nicuşor Dan, declared: "Romania is a democratic state. There are some parties that are looking for scandal, I believe that slowly, slowly people will understand what one thing is and another, Romania is a democratic state, it has an elected President, from now on everyone will campaign as they see fit. If we have physical, verbal violence, the institutions will do their duty."

It seems that Bucharest, today, will not only be the capital of a new institutional beginning, but also the epicenter of a social confrontation that could redefine the relationship between citizen and state in Romania.