The topics that bring to the forefront fake news, in parallel with the speech of the sovereign parties, have reached new peaks in Romania in recent months. If in some cases such topics have aroused the amusement of the Internet users, in others they can be a real danger, explains the specialists.
Boicot of Sovereign Parties in Parliament Inquam Photos / George Călin / Archive
The emptying of Lake Vidraru has started a long series of conspiracy theories in the online environment: from the bottling of the French to emptying to the order of France, who would like to get their hands on the gold in Romania, while some internets tried to find hidden motivations, others were amused. On the Internet, tricked images have begun to appear for amusement in which are presented water bottles that write “L’Au de Barrage Vidraru” or L’Au du Lac Vidraru “.”I once took the bathroom in the lake, I went out with a thick chain at the neck, a bracelet and three thumbs on your fingers“, Writes an Internet in a Reddit post. The subject has been circulating on the Internet for a long time and has initially viral on the Tiktok platform.
In a Reddit’s discussion, the real issue is cut in case of such themes: “The most important thing that allows intellectual skids like this is the lack of confidence in the state institutions. We all know how” we have everything “,” I tattoo if VAT grows “, etc, etc.”.
“The truth is simple: Lake Vidraru is emptied for the first time after almost 60 years, for maintenance and modernization works that will ensure its operation for another 40 years ”, points out the Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan. A reaction also comes from the Minister of the Environment, Diana Buzoianu, who emphasizes that “We are, in fact, in a hybrid war, we must understand very clearly, we are in a hybrid war with some extremist movements and some Russia movements that will manipulate us.”
However, such themes also reach the speech of parliamentary parties, which leave room for interpretations. Gold deputy Bogdan Velcescu asked the Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan, to offer public explanations about the emptying of the Vidraru accumulation lake. “How long will the works end? Who guarantees for them? Who pays the damages if they fail? How long will the Vidraru accumulation lake fill?”, Asks the parliamentarian.
“All come in favor of those who want to break Romania by the European Union” – Dumitru Borțun, expert communication
It is not the only topic that has given the speech of such parties in recent weeks. If in the case of Lake Vidraru the subject has aroused amusement, other themes have the potential to polarize the society. Dan Tanasa, a gold spokesman, recently urged the boycotting of couriers outside the EU, exactly on the model of the campaign against the immigrants who led to the exit of Great Britain from the European Union: “Stop the import of unskilled workers from Asia and Africa.”said the deputy, arousing a series of reactions in the public space. Dan Tanasa also addressed the situation of the Romanian communities in Harghita, Covasna and Mureș counties, stating that “Romania will lose the three counties. “
: Unfortunately, there is a tacit acceptance of a revisionist, revanne, hateful policy from the UDMR to the Romanian state, to the address of what means state sovereignty in that area ”, he said.
Another position that attacks the decisions in Bucharest comes from the top of the party. The leader of the party of young people (can), Anamaria Gavrilă, denounced the decision of the Romanian authorities to engage “In an unconditional support for Ukraine ”requesting the organization of a referendum for “clarification of the will of the nation regarding the continuation of external assistance ”.
The fact that such themes are caught in the speech of parliamentary parties produces an effect at the expense of the Romanian state. “All these things come in favor of those who want to break Romania by the European Union and want to weaken the European Union, that is, the Moscow brothers ”, points out the public communication expert Dumitru Borțun.
Why delay the reaction of the authorities
Such themes are not a novelty in Romania. They have been promoted for years, at least 2020, by the Sovereign Party in Parliament, but, in addition to some communications in which fake news is denounced, the state institutions do not still seem to have a recipe for counteracting these topics. Minister Diana Buzoianu says that in their case the reaction of the authorities has a double -edged, because the extent of the phenomenon will increase, but she points out that if they are the theories of the conspiracy that already reach hundreds of thousands or millions of Romanians, a reaction is required.
On the one hand, “An official reaction is necessary, because in its absence the rumors are amplified, distorted and they get monstrous forms. The first step in stopping some rumors is the official reaction. It is not enough, but it is the first mandatory step ”points out the public communication expert Dumitru Borțun. Diana Buzoianu’s observation is a realistic one, he says. “If you begin to argue, they will immediately look for counterarguments and amplifies. (…) It is dangerous to escalate the debate, because in us any debate leads to a polarization of the society,” so that state institutions must act with “As much caution” as much as possible. “not to “It is played with the fire ”explains the expert in public communication.
Sovereign parties, dependent on conspiracy themes
Professor Ciprian Cucu, an expert in combating misinformation, points out that the presence of sovereign parties that addresses such topics in Parliament are a consequence of an audience that has been formed for longer in the Romanian society.
“They have to go out with these messages that attract a little attention, to do a little valve, to fit what this audience wants to hear. One of the features we know in the research in the field is that messages like this must have what is called” Shock Value “, that is to say something in parallel. the president and the government ”, explains Ciprian Cucu.
On the other hand, the expert admits that the themes feed Russian propaganda in Romania. “We have what we can call circumstantial evidence. (…) We can also look at the similarity of the messages and how they fit over time. That is, as the messages coming from the Kremlin are transformed, we see that the messages that appear in Romania are transformed.”also points out Ciprian Cucu.
