Gabriel Amza, A cunning fox barks at the moon in a dogless village, 10 May 2025
Europe Day in Timișoara was like a reset button for all the doomscrolling between the presidential election rounds. Are the fascists coming, are the Russians coming? In the square, at least, they’re not here
This hasn’t changed at all since the protests of 2014–2016. Young and old alike, Romanians came out to support the European dream once again, at a rather encouraging gathering. It doesn’t hurt to have such a reconfirmation that the EU still has many supporters — outside of any online bubble.
As then, although the danger seemed imminent, Victory Square reminded us that there are still many of us with our heads on our shoulders who do not see Romania as a road leading to a nationalist autocracy, such as that established by our neighbors in Serbia under Vučić, or in Orbán’s Hungary, where the struggle continues. The Romanian sheep have nevertheless managed, over the last 10 years, to juggle a reasonable domestic policy, walking the tightrope of democracy with sufficient balance, despite the obstacles they place in their own path at every turn. It’s something — let’s hope it continues.
European peace is valuable, and many people seem as aware of this as they were 10 years ago, when, just like now, the public forum brought us together for a common dream: that we are stronger together than divided. Especially when we look at how, in recent decades, Russia has tried to swallow up territories of nations that did not have as many close friends. We are thinking of you, Georgia and Ukraine, our neighbors. We live in interesting times.
Any change needs direction, and now we have another decision to make after two terms of Jojo-Ficus (president Klaus Iohannis, who ruled between 2014 and 2025 – note of the translator). Both current candidates have a long civic history:
- 20 years for Nicusor Dan, the long-haired protector of Bucharest. In the meantime, he has had a haircut and is now in his second term as Mayor, voted in by people affected by his work in one way or another.
- It has been 20 years since George Simion, currently a candidate for the presidency of Romania, has been fighting for “national unity” with our Moldovan neighbors. You can see how well he has done, since he is banned in Moldova (don’t ask us why), but few people in the area voted for him in the previous elections. One of the notable exceptions to the past victory.
Of course, both camps have fans in all social strata, but I have never had the opportunity to see an AUR rally in the city with the same optimistic energy. Here, the younger generation—teenagers and children—played an important role. (They are often absent from AUR rallies, and this is noticeable.) Many of them took to the microphone and gave us history lessons, because it comes naturally to them to be informed, with the encyclopedia in the black mirror in their pocket.
From the square, it is clear that the road to totalitarianism, if we choose to go down it, has many critics and will not be a clear and final defeat. Together we are stronger.
Photo: The meeting for the Europe Day in Timișoara (source: Gabriel Amza)
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