Revision of World War Two History
The ideology of the Romanian unionism assumes defence of the last regime, in which Moldova was part of Romania and an ally of Hitler's regime under I.Antonesku. Hence, there is the idea of the equation of the Nazi and the Soviet regime and the presentation of "small nations" as victims and collaborators as the liberation movement.
On January 31, 2013 the news website Curaj.net published an anonymous article, entitled “Nazis and Soviet Union were like two criminal accomplices”. The article demagogically stated that liberation of Europe from fascism is a myth and propaganda. In addition, it was stated that, the Third Reich and USSR had a common cause – ridding world of “Western Democracy”. The author also stated that Russian community has still not cured itself of this idea. On February 7, in an interview with “InfoPrut”, one of the leaders of the youth wing of the ruling coalition of the Democratic Party, Ion Ion Hargel called Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War an extremist holiday.
On April 19, the Board of Unification of Moldova and Romania spoke with an initiative to begin the restoration of the “Antonescu tower” – a monument to Royal Romania, erected in memory of the capture of Bessarabia territory. The tower, build on Marshal Ion Antonescu’s orders, was located near a village of Gidigich in 1941 "to commemorate the liberation of Bessarabia from the Soviet power".
On April 30, 2013 the Civic Platform “Actiunea-2012” also demanded Moldovan government to remove the celebrative events, dedicated to the Victory Day, from the central square in Chisinau. Authors of the document urged not to allow the celebrative events with the use of “communist symbols” at the square, which is a “symbol of struggle for independence of the second Romanian state from USSR”. They also insisted on declaring May 9 a day of national mourning.
On May 16, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Municipal Library held a presentation of the collection of documents "Iron Guard in Bessarabia. Documents."Authors – Alexandru Moraru and Benedict Ciubotaru stated that documents will "refute all charges against the legionnaire movement by communist and Zionist falsifiers.”A. Moraru also stated that the "Iron Guard" was a "movement for national liberation from foreign political, financial, diplomatic and economic oppression".
On February 20, 2013 at the session of parliamentary commission on foreign policy and European integration, Ana Gutu, when considering the agreement of the CIS countries, to perpetuate the memory of courage and heroism of people participating in the Great Patriotic War 1941 - 1945, delivered a sharp criticism of the agreement, saying, “I will absolutely not vote for this agreement, let's be serious, it was not our war”. On May 20, yet again Ana Gutu stated in an interview with Kommersant.md, that she hopes that the Victory Day will be cancelled before the end of current parliament’s mandate. “Second World War was not our war – it was imposed on use by two dictators. Many families from Bessarabia had relatives who fought in Soviet and Romanian armies. Both suffered. So what victory are we talking about here? In Europe, they are celebrating the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation,” she said. Gutu also stated, that the right to commemorate victims should be also with those whose relatives fought on Hitler’s side.
On April 30, this initiative was supported by a Moldovan MP from the “reformative wing” of the Liberal Party Ion Hadarca, who stated that the fact that the Victory Day is celebrated on the central square of Chisinau shows that “we don’t yet think in a European way".
On March 8, a specialised body of the Council of Europe – the Venice Commission – stated that the ban of Soviet symbols in Moldova contradicts a number of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights and has to be announced unconstitutional. However, the Moldovan politicians chose to ignore it. President Nicolae Timofti stated on the air of one of the TV channels on March 19, that he does not see any difference between symbols of communism and fascism. He went on to call the decision of the Venice Commission a recommendation, not obligatory for Moldova. After the decision of the Constitutional Court that the ban was illegal, vice-chairman of the Liberal Party Valery Muntianu stated in response, that the party will continue to fight for the elimination of communist symbology.
As for the desecration of monuments on the night of May 9, unknowns have desecrated a monument to soldiers of the Great Patriotic War in Ohrei, by tearing off the memorial plaque to the fallen soldiers, whose names remained unknown. Memorial plaque, saying “Glory to Heroes!” was thrown by vandals onto a river coast. In Chisinau vandals desecrated the monument dedicated to the Holocaust victims.
In November 2013, an incident occurred that stirred up the Moldovan society: on November 5, at a Halloween masquerade in a Chisinau club Cocos Prive a German citizen Herbert Schiesser appeared in a uniform with a swastika, and lifted his hand in a Nazi salute. Schiesser said that he was just joking. No action is taken regarding the incident. Meanwhile, it soon became known that the German citizen was wanted by the German court due to charges of sexual harassment and fraud.
On April 7, 2014, Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirotoaca stated that May 9th should be celebrated as the Day of Europe rather than Day of Victory. He expressed hope that parliament would adopt corresponding changes to legislation. On September 1, he said that he intends to dismantle and move Soviet monuments to liberators from fascism, following Estonia’s example. Chirtoaca reminded that the Bronze Soldier in Estonia was moved from the centre of Tallinn to its outskirts. He believes that if similar action is taken in Moldova, it will be able to become a full member of the European community in the future.
