On Saturday, November 25, 2023, fascist sympathizers, ultranationalists, neo-Nazis, and neo-Legionary groups from Romania and across Europe gathered to pay their annual tribute to Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, a fascist leader of the Iron Guard paramilitary organization who was assassinated in 1938. Codreanu, as well as other Iron Guard legionnaires, are idolized by many Romanians, particularly ultranationalists, as they view Codreanu and his anti-communist, violently antisemitic movement as defenders of Romanian tradition, cultural values, and the Christian Orthodox faith.
Several of the groups and individuals that attended the event documented the proceedings via social media, particularly on Telegram.
The following report compiles the posts shared by several of the extreme-right entities that attended the Saturday event, as well as the other channels that reported on the activities that day.
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Trans-European Ultranationalist Collective Posts On Commemoration
On Telegram, a trans-European ultranationalist collective group posted a short text on November 26 in French, Romanian, Spanish, and English informing readers that a delegation of "nationalists," as well as members of a French ultranationalist group were invited to the commemoration ceremony. The text added that representatives from a Spanish fascist organization joined as well. The message reads: "As every year…a delegation of #Nationalists…travelled to..pay tribute to the Captain and the 13 legionary commanders murdered with him on 30 November 1938…The ceremony was followed by a friendly dinner. We would like to thank our Romanian hosts once again for their warm welcome."
The group also published photos from the ceremony. The images show participants holding up Romanian flags, as well as a shrine to Codreanu.
Neo-Legionary Telegram Channel
On November 26, a Romanian neo-Legionary Telegram channel…also posted a photo from the Saturday event. The photo shows a man and a woman, faces digitally obscured, holding up a flag of a neo-Legionary party.
Neo-Legionary Group Posts Video Of Event
On December 1, the Neo-Legionary group which was involved in organizing this year's ceremony, uploaded an 18-minute-long video from the event to its YouTube channel. In the video, a man gives a speech praising Codreanu and his supposed "saintly" attributes.
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