Romanian Fascist Historian And Holocaust Denier Publishes Facebook Message Attacking Alexandru Florian, Head Of Elie Wiesel Institute; Users Express Support With Antisemitic Comments

On April 25, 2024, a Romanian historian and apologist for Nazi collaborator Ion Antonescu and other fascist figures, shared a long message on his Facebook page denigrating Alexandru Florian, head of the government-funded Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust. The Wiesel Institute was established in 2005 to research Romania's role in the World War II genocide. Over the years, the institute has spearheaded the removal of monuments, plaques, and statues honoring Romanian Nazi collaborators and other far-right figures, and actively assists in furthering education about Jewish topics in schools. Consequently, it is often heavily criticized by the Romanian political right and extreme-right, who consider it "anti-Romanian."

In his message, the individual accuses Florian of "terrorizing public life in Romania for over 2 decades" and of being a "fascist dictator," among other things. It also calls for him to face "investigation and punishment" for being a "criminal offender." He has previously claimed that Romania did not participate in the Holocaust, and has protested the teaching of Holocaust curricula in high schools.

YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@MEMRI.ORG WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST.

The following report will provide some brief background on the fascist historian, and then examine his message maligning Florian.

Holocaust Denier Publishes Facebook Post Attacking Florian

The message opens as follows: "Alexandru Florian, the director of the organized criminal group, 'Elie Wiesel,' has been terrorizing public life in Romania for over 2 decades." It then asserts that Florian, "possessed by hatred against the Romanian people, history and Romanian culture in its entirety, accuses of anti-Semitism any person who expresses his opinion in public."

It continues: "The son of a mass murderer, [named] Radu Florian, who, during the years of Bolshevik Stalinism participated in the genocide against the Romanian people, Alexandru Florian has a dictatorial attitude towards the whole of public life in Romania. The individual has imposed the study of Jewish history in Romanian high schools and the Holocaust despite the fact that historical documents do not confirm such an accusation [...] Under the pretext of anti-Semitism, the individual terrorizes the Romanian people... Not a single great name in our history and culture has escaped his false accusations." The message then lists the names of various historical figures who apparently held antisemitic views.

Antisemitic Reactions On Facebook

Numerous users reacted to the message on Facebook in the comments section. For instance, one user wrote: "Congratulations! He should finally be held accountable for all the evil he causes to the Romanian people."

Another user wrote: "The real history of the Jews should be taught, all the misfortunes they have done. They brought communism to Russia and Romania."

A third added: "I support you too, if I can help in any way, please let me know, especially in the Maramures area. We've already had enough of these Khazarian Zionist criminals!"