Leader of Romanian far-right Young People’s Party calls police on journalists, gets sanctioned instead
<p>Anamaria Gavrilă, leader of the far-right Young People's Party, or POT, called police to her parliamentary office inside the Palace of Parliament and asked them to clear the press outside. Responding police officers, however, gave her a warning after determining that the media representatives had not violated any legal provisions.</p>
<p>Gavrilă called the emergency number 112 on Wednesday, March 19, while in her office, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnamariaGavrilaDeputat/videos/2894446597394489">claiming</a> she was being harassed by reporters. The press, however, was within their area of access inside the Palace of Parliament. </p>
<p>After Gavrilă called the emergency number, “police officers from Section 17 arrived at the scene and determined that the media representatives were performing their professional duties in a hallway within the Parliament Palace. Therefore, it was established that the media representatives had not violated legal provisions, as the area in question allowed their access for professional activities," stated the Capital Police, cited by <a href="https://www.news.ro/politic-intern/presedinta-pot-anamaria-gavrila-a-sunat-la-112-pentru-evacuarea-presei-din-fata-biroului-parlamentar-din-camera-deputatilor-politia-capitalei-a-sanctionat-o-contraventional-cu-avertisment-1922402019002025031621971912">News.ro</a>.</p>
<p>The press was there to obtain statements from Anamaria Gavrilă regarding a possible withdrawal from the presidential race after her candidacy had already been validated. The far-right leader later announced that she was stepping down from the race to maximize the chances of another representative of the sovereignist camp, the president of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians party, George Simion. </p>
<p>Both Simion and Gavrilă had backed pro-Russian independent Calin Georgescu for president before he <a href="https://www.romania-insider.com/calin-georgescu-barred-presidential-elections-ccr-romania-march-2025">was barred from running</a> by the Romanian Constitutional Court.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnamariaGavrilaDeputat?__tn__=-UC*F">Anamaria Gavrilă</a> on Facebook)</em></p>