The criminal complaint filed by the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) against Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu has sparked a wave of harsh reactions against magistrates on the Reddit platform.
Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu attacked in court by the CSM. PHOTO: The truth
Support for Gheorghiu on reddit: “Better with mothers than with magistrates”
The topic has been hotly debated on the Reddit platform. Many harsh opinions were posted, some vulgar, expressing support for Gheorghiu or criticism and anger towards the magistrates.
Some commentators argue that the money allocated to special pensions would be more useful for social needs: “In a way, it’s fixed like this: rather than their special pensions, those pennies should rather go to the new mothers. Let’s not forget that they took some rights from the mothers without it being “unconstitutional”, the magistrates can’t do anything to them.”
Another user explains what special pensions are, from his point of view:
“Let’s tell him what it is: a non-contributory pension paid from contributory pensions. After working until the age of 65, the citizen from Amara lives for about 5 more years. The magistrate who retires at 48 lives for about 40 more on the backs of 30 citizens from Amara. I barely realized it now — we went to the Middle Ages: they are LORDS with rights and we lackeys!!!”
Anger and call for public reaction
Many commentators accuse the magistrates of a lack of responsibility and call for civic mobilization:
“How active these justices are when it comes to them.”
“Unbelievable how greedy for money the CSM are, we have to go to the streets and defend Oana Gheorghiu. It can’t be like that — special pensions must disappear, we are not in the Middle Ages to be separated into serfs and boyars.”
Some see the CSM’s complaint as an attempt at intimidation:
“Fist in the mouth with the complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office, security guards!! If we don’t defend this woman either, I don’t know who else deserves to be defended.”
Violent criticism of the body of magistrates
Other comments include strong insults and harsh generalizations about the magistrates. There are also internet users who question the system’s ability to judge correctly or make fun of the procedures:
“Well, it’s everyone’s fault that the justice in Romania is a joke, except the justice in Romania… Well, they wouldn’t be ashamed… I’m curious: if somehow they could fire them… What would the magistrate gods do? Would they go private?”
“I wonder how such a case can be judged impartially in court.”
A user reminds platform users of the protest organized the following days: “Don’t forget there’s a protest on the 14th.”
“How to criminal complaint for incitement to hatred?”
Other comments try to legislate the impact of special pensions in economic and social terms:
“Well, it’s money taken ‘from the mouth of a child or from the budget of a hospital’. It is about 16 billion lei annually or approx. 15% of the pension budget… so about 30k special people get pensions like about a million or so pensioners.”
Another comment evokes a painful local reality:
“The number of scholarships at the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest was recently announced, 50% less than the previous year due to the lack of funds. Special pensions are not touched.”
Some dispute the criminal classification invoked by the CSM:
“There are also magistrates… like a criminal complaint for incitement to hatred? What classification is that? Maybe for slander or damage to the image would make sense, yes, what kind of hatred is this, boss? Where is it stipulated in the law that a criticism brought without insults or insults is considered hate?”
The comments reflect a polarized society: there are staunch supporters of special pension reform, people outraged by the fact that magistrates benefit from financial privileges, but also firm critics of the way these debates are conducted — and, above all, of the language used by both politicians and online reactions.
Where did everything start from?
The Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM) announced that it has filed a criminal complaint against Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu in relation to the statements made in a televised interview, through which “the independence of the judiciary and the status of magistrates were violated in an irresponsible and populist manner”.
Oana Gheorghiu declared on Saturday, November 8, that Romania can no longer afford to have special pensioners, comparing the system to “a kind of Caritas”.
“The statements deliberately formulated in a note characterized by an emotional vector, with reference to funds allocated for minors affected by serious pathologies, and the comparison between their situation and the financial guarantees of judicial independence cannot be simple personal opinions when they come from a representative of the executive power. Such allegations represent attacks on a constitutional power, which fuels a dangerous discourse that incites hatred and discrimination, intended to antagonize society against the professional body of magistrates”the CSM transmitted.
The CSM decided to notify the Public Prosecutor’s Office to check whether the statements of the Deputy Prime Minister are in line with “incitement to violence, hatred or discrimination” (art. 369 Criminal Code) .
