Gigi Becali
Encyclopedia
George Becali (ˈd͡ʒe̯ord͡ʒe beˈkali, commonly known in Romania
as Gigi Becali; born 25 June 1958) is a controversial Romania
n politician and businessman, mostly known for his involvement in the Steaua Bucureşti football club.
He has been a Member of the European Parliament
since June 2009.
, Braila County
, as his family had been deported to the Bărăgan
by the Communist
authorities because of their associations with the pre-WWII fascist Iron Guard
.
During childhood and adolescence, Becali was a supporter of Dinamo Bucharest. His cousins Victor Becali and Ioan Becali are football agents involved in Romanian football mainly for Dinamo Bucharest. In 1994, he married Luminiţa, 11 years his junior; the couple have three daughters: Teodora (b. 1995), Alexandra (b. 1996) and Cristina (b. 2001).
After the 2005 floods, he used $4 million of his personal money to fund the reconstruction of about 200 houses in the Vulturu village (Vulturu
commune, Vrancea
county) that was destroyed by the overflow of the Siret
river. However, he is still the legal owner of the 200 houses. Subsequently the villagers wanted to rename it Vulturu Becali (Becali Vulture) in his honor.
The deal consisted in Becali giving the army a 21.5 ha plot (about 15 km from Bucharest
) in exchange for a 20.9 ha plot in Băneasa
-Pipera
, in Northern Bucharest. As the real estate prices skyrocketed in the capital, he sold the land to some companies which built residential areas.
In 2007, it was revealed that in 1998, when Becali sent the offer to the Romanian Army, he was not the owner of the property in Ştefăneştii de Jos, buying it only after it was clear that the deal would be signed. Also, the Army was not legally allowed to give away the Pipera plot, because it was claimed by former owners.
The affair was investigated in 2006 by the National Anticorruption Directorate
(NAD). In July 2007, the NAD started to investigate a transaction between Becali and the daughter of Defence Minister Victor Babiuc
, involving land in Pipera which was sold for $300/sqm.
On October 17, 2005, his entire fortune was impounded by the National Fiscal Authority (ANAF) for debts totaling US$ 11,000,000. However, Becali sued the ANAF and won the trial, and subsequently the order of seizure was lifted. He was however able to avoid paying the taxes by transferring the assets of Steaua to a newly-formed company, AFC Steaua Bucureşti, allowing the old association to go bankrupt. As of 2007, Becali detains no official link to the club, as he gradually renounced his shares in favour of his nephews.
In 2005, the papers wrote that he commissioned a painting inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
's Last Supper
, in which he holds the place of Jesus, while the eleven players and the coach hold the place of the disciples. Becali denied the story, claiming that he received the painting from an admirer.
notes that the National Bank can reject the creation of a new bank if they suspect that the new bank would not respect the laws or that they won't have solid and prudent investment policies.
In reply to this decision, Becali named Mugur Isărescu
, the governor of the National Bank, "a buffoon, a frustrated and envious person" and announced that he intends to sue him.
, Becali was a candidate of the "League of Italian Communities in Romania" for the seat in the Chamber of Deputies reserved for the Italian minority
. He received 16,266 votes (0.15%) countrywide, of which 7,677 in Ilfov County
. Nevertheless, he lost to Ileana Stana-Ionescu, who got only 2,943 votes in one constituency. Becali contested the results, but according to Romanian election law, for national minorities, it is not the total number of votes that matters; the individual who gains the largest percentage in one constituency wins the seat reserved for that national minority.
He has led the New Generation – Christian Democrat Party (PNG-CD) since January 2004, being its candidate in the 2004 presidential election
, receiving 1.77% of votes cast (184,560 votes).
In his 2004 electoral campaign, Becali used clips of the "Mihai Viteazul" movie (directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu
), whose main character was played by Amza Pellea
. Amza's daughter, Oana Pellea, sued Becali for using Amza Pellea's image without permission and won 35,000 RON (about $12,000) in damages.
He often had disputes with Corneliu Vadim Tudor
, another extremist politician. These disputes, usually consisted of exchanges of insults between the two. He had another dispute with Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
whom he named a "cockroach-politician" and a "Very Important Papagal" (papagal means "parrot" in Romanian and is regarded as an insult).
In December 2006, he promised that his party would generate a "Cultural revolution" in Romania.
At the elections for the European Parliament, held in November 2007, his party (PNG-CD) obtained 4,86% of the popular vote, little under the 5% needed for admission in the EU governing body. Same happened at the elections from December 2008, as a surprise to many people.
At the June 2009 European Parliament election
, Becali ran on Vadim's Greater Romania Party
ticket and won a seat in the European Parliament
. However, on June 9, Romanian judges upheld a travel ban on Becali for the duration of an illegal incarceration investigation by police, banning him from taking his seat in the EP; Becali retorted that he intended to take his seat in Brussels and dared the justice system to arrest him in Belgium. Eventually, the Romanian supreme court lifted all restrictions on him.
He also ran in the 2009 presidential elections
where he got 1.91% of the vote.
of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
.
His 2004 electoral slogan "I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I'll make Romania shine like the holy sun of the sky" ("Eu Gigi Becali, jur în faţa tuturor românilor şi în faţa lui Dumnezeu că voi face ca România să strălucească precum soarele sfânt de pe cer!") is taken from the testament of Ion Moţa
, one of the founders of the Iron Guard
.
In 2005, Dan Pavel
resigned from his job as Becali's adviser because of Becali's links with Noua Dreaptă
, a neofascist organization. Pavel claims that a few months after, Becali gave up those links.
in Bucharest's local council. The PD-L leaders announced they don't want a National Liberal vice-mayor, but they would rather support one from Becali's party.
people. During his 2004 presidential campaign one of the main themes of his rhetoric was opposition to sexual minorities, which he voiced over and over in interviews and TV appearances.
On May 26, 2006, Becali's personal foundation, the "George Becali Christian Foundation", along with the Romanian Orthodox Church
and 22 NGOs, signed a protest letter calling on the government and the courts to ban the Bucharest GayFest 2006 parade, focussed that year on the theme of same-sex unions. A few days later, the Bucharest Court of Appeals ruled, however, that the parade was legal, and it was ensured significant police protection. Becali justified his opposition to the pride parade by stating that he "doesn't discriminate against homosexuals" but that, "They abuse their rights. This is proselytism
. They can do what they want in their homes, but not on the streets. I call on the Romanian Orthodox Church
to defend the Christian faith and morals". Becali declared that he intended to pay for a referendum on same-sex marriage
, which he believed 99% of people would vote against. He was also widely criticized in the media for asking, "Why [are there] so many homosexuals? I'll give two or five million dollars [for a referendum], so we can finish off all homosexuals in the country."
The media commentator Dan Tapalagă, in an editorial at the Cotidianul
newspaper, criticized the Romanian Orthodox Church for its coalition with Becali, and its opposition to the gay pride parade, which he sarcastically termed as "the sin of the Becalised Church".
In an opinion piece written after Becali's inflammatory declaration, journalist Radu Călin Cristea quoted Cristian Pârvulescu, a Romanian political analyst, who described Becali as a "populist who practices a superficial form of legionarism", referring to the fascist Iron Guard
movement which took place in 1930s Romania and whose members were named "legionnaires" (legionari). Cristea also warned that society and the political class should stop regarding Becali as an "inoffensive and amusing clown
".
In October 2006, Gigi Becali was awarded the LGBT community's "black ball" for the most homophobic personality in Romania, as part of the 2006 Gay Awards Gala which took place during the Gay Film Nights
Festival of Cluj-Napoca
.
During Bucharest's annual GayFest in June 2007, Becali seemed to have tempered his homophobic stance. He declared in an interview that "I love them [homosexuals] in the same way that I love all other people. They can marry at the City Hall, every day, 10 of them if they want to. But in church, they don't have a place." When questioned about homosexuality in another interview conducted during the 2007 GayFest, he stated, "They can do what they want... marry... I don't have anything against that". On the question of whether he would accept a gay person in the New Generation Party
of which he is president, Becali replied "But why would I have a problem with that? Who knows how many there already are?"
In September 2007, he resumed his homophobic speech, stating that if he becomes president of Romania
, he will "get rid of all homosexual and lesbian clubs" and create special neighbourhoods for homosexuals and lesbians, so that "they can stay there and leave us [alone]". He also referred to gays as "sinners" and said that "they should go to the priest if they have problems in their head". The secretary-general of the New Generation Party
, Cătălin Dâncu, later appeared to distance himself from Becali's comments, declaring that, "As long as EU principles clearly state that minority rights must be respected, Romania as a member-state must respect them". Romania's National Council for Combating Discrimination
is investigating whether Becali's comments breach anti-discrimination and hate speech laws, stating that he could be fined up to 8000 lei
(~€2500).
.
In November 2001, Becali and his bodyguards insulted and physically abused Malonga Parfait, the host of a satirical football TV Show, "Fotbal la Maxx". Becali called Parfait a "monkey" allegedly because the latter is of African origin.
There have been numerous controversies with the violent declarations linked with the Steaua football team, including the use of slurs against the Roma and other minorities by fans and employees of Becali. He also sang in April 2005 a manea
which included a racial slur against the Roma.
a 'jidan', which in Romanian is a negative name given to the Jews
. Iuliu Muresan, the chairman of Romanian football club CFR Cluj
has also accused Becali of antisemitism.
, a well-known journalist, in a café, after the latter had written the article "O statuie pentru Puiu Paşcu
" ("A Statue for Puiu Paşcu" - a former Minister of Defense in the Social Democratic Party
cabinet of Adrian Năstase
) in Adevărul
about the controversial land swap with the Army and the assault on Malonga Parfait. Becali told Popescu that he should have been shot and that the journalists destroyed Romania.
In 2005, Becali provoked controversy by using extremely vulgar language in an interview, insulting the reporter and the channel he worked for (Antena 1).
In July 2005, in a restaurant, Becali cursed, spat and spilled a glass of wine on Şerban Huidu
, the creator of the satirical TV show "Cronica Cârcotaşilor
". Becali got the nickname "Ioan Botezătorul" (John the Baptist
) after this incident.
Following a match of Steaua Bucureşti in April 2006, his bodyguards used violence against a female reporter of Realitatea TV
after Becali asked them to "take her away from that place".
He currently is one of the favorite subjects of the Romania
n media, due to his frequent slips of the tongue and inflammatory remarks. For example, in July 2005, a reporter called Becali to ask him some questions related to the Steaua Bucureşti football club. Becali used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of curses addressed to Antena 1 and Dan Voiculescu
. He himself said in the dialogue that "he is not a civilized man".
In 2008, he admitted that when he lost money in a casino, he lost his temper and began throwing chairs toward the windows, breaking them.
On April 2, 2009 George Becali was arrested over illegally holding 3 people against their will, because he suspected they were involved in stealing his car. He was arrested for 29 days, but he got out of jail after 15 days. Four other people, his bodyguards, Cătălin Zmărăndescu, Ştefan Dediu, Nicolae Dumitraşcu and Dumitru Beciual, who were also involved in the incident, were issued arrest warrants as well. Becali announced his candidacy for the European Parliament from his prison cell. Nick Thorpe, the BBC's correspondent to Romania, says that many Romanians see him as a victim of crime rather than a perpetrator, and that sympathy about the case undoubtedly helped Becali win a seat in Brussels for the nationalist Greater Romania Party
. Romanian judges initially barred Becali from taking his MEP seat due to ongoing police investigation. Eventually, the Romanian Supreme Court lifted all bans and Becali was allowed to take his Brussels seat. Becali spent three week in jail during the investigation.
. He has also remarked that a woman "has no more value" after she has given birth to a child. This led to a group of twenty-six women reporting Becali to the National Council for Combating Discrimination
for contravening Romania's anti-discrimination laws. On October 6, the Council ruled that Becali's comments were discriminatory towards women and "affected the dignity of women", Becali being fined 500 lei.
Becali has also been sued various times, mostly over slander, by the football coach Anghel Iordănescu
, politician Radu Berceanu
and a Divizia A referee, Cristian Balaj.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
as Gigi Becali; born 25 June 1958) is a controversial Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n politician and businessman, mostly known for his involvement in the Steaua Bucureşti football club.
He has been a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
since June 2009.
Biography
He was born in an Aromanian family in Zagna, RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Braila County
Braila County
Brăila is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Brăila.- Demographics :In 2002, Brăila had a population of 373,174 and the population density was 78/km².*Romanians – 98%*Romas, Russians, Lipovans, Aromanians and others....
, as his family had been deported to the Bărăgan
Baragan Plain
The Bărăgan Plain is a steppe plain in south-eastern Romania. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing area....
by the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
authorities because of their associations with the pre-WWII fascist Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
.
During childhood and adolescence, Becali was a supporter of Dinamo Bucharest. His cousins Victor Becali and Ioan Becali are football agents involved in Romanian football mainly for Dinamo Bucharest. In 1994, he married Luminiţa, 11 years his junior; the couple have three daughters: Teodora (b. 1995), Alexandra (b. 1996) and Cristina (b. 2001).
After the 2005 floods, he used $4 million of his personal money to fund the reconstruction of about 200 houses in the Vulturu village (Vulturu
Vulturu, Vrancea
Vulturu is a commune located in the southeastern part of Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Boţârlău, Hânguleşti, Maluri, Vadu-Roşca and Vulturu.-References:...
commune, Vrancea
Vrancea County
Vrancea is a county in Romania, with its seat at Focşani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in Muntenia.-Demographics:...
county) that was destroyed by the overflow of the Siret
Siret River
The Siret or Sireth is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania for 470 km before it joins the Danube...
river. However, he is still the legal owner of the 200 houses. Subsequently the villagers wanted to rename it Vulturu Becali (Becali Vulture) in his honor.
Real estate business
Becali became a millionaire through an exchange of land with the Romanian Army, dubbed by the Romanian press as suspicious, as the Army did not need the land it received and the land he received was worth much more.The deal consisted in Becali giving the army a 21.5 ha plot (about 15 km from Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
) in exchange for a 20.9 ha plot in Băneasa
Baneasa
Băneasa is a borough in the north side of Bucharest, near the Băneasa Lake . Like all north-side districts of Bucharest, it is relatively sparsely populated, with large areas of parkland...
-Pipera
Pipera
Pipera is a district of Voluntari city, situated in the north part of Bucharest, Romania.Until 1995, it was an ordinary village. After that, an "el dorado" of land transactions began. Plots of land that were 1 USD/m² reached in 2005 the amount of 250 USD/m²...
, in Northern Bucharest. As the real estate prices skyrocketed in the capital, he sold the land to some companies which built residential areas.
In 2007, it was revealed that in 1998, when Becali sent the offer to the Romanian Army, he was not the owner of the property in Ştefăneştii de Jos, buying it only after it was clear that the deal would be signed. Also, the Army was not legally allowed to give away the Pipera plot, because it was claimed by former owners.
The affair was investigated in 2006 by the National Anticorruption Directorate
National Anticorruption Directorate
National Anticorruption Directorate , formerly National Anticorruption Prosecution Office , is the Romanian agency tasked with preventing, investigating and prosecuting corruption-related offenses that caused a material damage higher than €200,000 or whose value of the involved amounts or goods is...
(NAD). In July 2007, the NAD started to investigate a transaction between Becali and the daughter of Defence Minister Victor Babiuc
Victor Babiuc
Victor Babiuc is a Romanian jurist and politician. A former member of the Democratic Party and of the National Liberal Party , he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest in 1990 and from 1992 to 1996, and for Braşov County from 1996 to 2004. In the Petre Roman cabinet, he...
, involving land in Pipera which was sold for $300/sqm.
Ownership of Steaua
Becali joined the General Shareholders' Council of the Steaua Bucureşti football team at the end of the 1990s, during the presidency of businessman Viorel Păunescu. Step by step, he tried to eliminate other possible candidates and gather all the Club's shares. He obtained 51% of the shares on 6 February 2003 and he bought another 15% toward the end of the year 2003.On October 17, 2005, his entire fortune was impounded by the National Fiscal Authority (ANAF) for debts totaling US$ 11,000,000. However, Becali sued the ANAF and won the trial, and subsequently the order of seizure was lifted. He was however able to avoid paying the taxes by transferring the assets of Steaua to a newly-formed company, AFC Steaua Bucureşti, allowing the old association to go bankrupt. As of 2007, Becali detains no official link to the club, as he gradually renounced his shares in favour of his nephews.
In 2005, the papers wrote that he commissioned a painting inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's Last Supper
The Last Supper (Leonardo)
The Last Supper is a 15th century mural painting in Milan created by Leonardo da Vinci for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este...
, in which he holds the place of Jesus, while the eleven players and the coach hold the place of the disciples. Becali denied the story, claiming that he received the painting from an admirer.
Other business activities
Becali announced in 2008 that he intends to open his own bank, named "Becali Bank", intended to be used "only by millionaires", with an initial investment of 30 million euro. Nevertheless, the Administration Council of the National Bank of Romania rejected the plan of creation without giving a public reason. CotidianulCotidianul
thumb|right|Old logo of Cotidianul newspaper, used in the [[inter-war period]], and in the early 1990sthumb|right|The logo used between 2003 and 2007...
notes that the National Bank can reject the creation of a new bank if they suspect that the new bank would not respect the laws or that they won't have solid and prudent investment policies.
In reply to this decision, Becali named Mugur Isărescu
Mugur Isarescu
Mugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
, the governor of the National Bank, "a buffoon, a frustrated and envious person" and announced that he intends to sue him.
Political career
At the 2000 Romanian legislative electionRomanian legislative election, 2000
Legislative elections where be held in Romania on November 26, 2000, together with the Presidential election. The Greater Romania Party made big gains, as did the PDSR, which became the ruling party. The formerly governing Romanian Democratic Convention lost all its seats and was shortly...
, Becali was a candidate of the "League of Italian Communities in Romania" for the seat in the Chamber of Deputies reserved for the Italian minority
Italians of Romania
The Italian Romanians are people of Italian descent who reside, or have moved to Romania.-Characteristics:They are an ethnic minority in Romania, numbering 3,288 people according to the 2002 census...
. He received 16,266 votes (0.15%) countrywide, of which 7,677 in Ilfov County
Ilfov County
Ilfov is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs or satellites of Bucharest...
. Nevertheless, he lost to Ileana Stana-Ionescu, who got only 2,943 votes in one constituency. Becali contested the results, but according to Romanian election law, for national minorities, it is not the total number of votes that matters; the individual who gains the largest percentage in one constituency wins the seat reserved for that national minority.
He has led the New Generation – Christian Democrat Party (PNG-CD) since January 2004, being its candidate in the 2004 presidential election
Romanian presidential election, 2004
A presidential election was held in Romania on November 28, 2004. 12 candidates competed for the office. As no candidate won more than 50% of the votes, a run-off was held on December 12, 2004, between the two leading candidates: prime minister Adrian Năstase of the ruling Social Democratic Party...
, receiving 1.77% of votes cast (184,560 votes).
In his 2004 electoral campaign, Becali used clips of the "Mihai Viteazul" movie (directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu
Sergiu Nicolaescu
Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu is a Romanian film director, actor and politician. He is best known for his historical films, such as Mihai Viteazul , Dacii , Razboiul Independenţei , as well as for his series of...
), whose main character was played by Amza Pellea
Amza Pellea
Amza Pellea was one of the most important Romanian actors, being remarked both for his theatre and his film acting.Born in Băileşti, in Oltenia, he attended the Carol I High School...
. Amza's daughter, Oana Pellea, sued Becali for using Amza Pellea's image without permission and won 35,000 RON (about $12,000) in damages.
He often had disputes with Corneliu Vadim Tudor
Corneliu Vadim Tudor
Corneliu Vadim Tudor is leader of the Greater Romania Party , writer, journalist and a Member of the European Parliament...
, another extremist politician. These disputes, usually consisted of exchanges of insults between the two. He had another dispute with Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu is a Romanian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Romania between 29 December 2004 and 22 December 2008...
whom he named a "cockroach-politician" and a "Very Important Papagal" (papagal means "parrot" in Romanian and is regarded as an insult).
In December 2006, he promised that his party would generate a "Cultural revolution" in Romania.
At the elections for the European Parliament, held in November 2007, his party (PNG-CD) obtained 4,86% of the popular vote, little under the 5% needed for admission in the EU governing body. Same happened at the elections from December 2008, as a surprise to many people.
At the June 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Romania)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Romania is the election of the delegation from Romania to the European Parliament in 2009.-Candidates and elected MEPs:Among those expected to take up seats are :...
, Becali ran on Vadim's Greater Romania Party
Greater Romania Party
The Greater Romania Party is a Romanian radical right-wing, ultra-nationalist political party, led by Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The party is sometimes referred to in English as the Great Romania Party....
ticket and won a seat in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. However, on June 9, Romanian judges upheld a travel ban on Becali for the duration of an illegal incarceration investigation by police, banning him from taking his seat in the EP; Becali retorted that he intended to take his seat in Brussels and dared the justice system to arrest him in Belgium. Eventually, the Romanian supreme court lifted all restrictions on him.
He also ran in the 2009 presidential elections
Romanian presidential election, 2009
The first round of 2009 Romanian presidential elections was held in Romania on 22 November and a run-off round between Traian Băsescu and Mircea Geoană was held on 6 December 2009. Although most exit polls favored Geoană in the runoff, the authorities declared Băsescu the narrow victor with 50.33%...
where he got 1.91% of the vote.
Political positions
His political views are extreme nationalistic; he declared himself a follower of the Pre-WWII Romanian Legionnaire Movement and called for the canonizationCanonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or The Legion of the Archangel Michael , an ultra-nationalist and violently antisemitic organization active throughout most of the interwar period...
.
His 2004 electoral slogan "I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I'll make Romania shine like the holy sun of the sky" ("Eu Gigi Becali, jur în faţa tuturor românilor şi în faţa lui Dumnezeu că voi face ca România să strălucească precum soarele sfânt de pe cer!") is taken from the testament of Ion Moţa
Ion Mota
Ion I. Moţa [or Motza] was the Romanian fascist deputy leader of the Iron Guard killed in battle during the Spanish Civil War.-Biography:...
, one of the founders of the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
.
In 2005, Dan Pavel
Dan Pavel
Dan Pavel is a Romanian political scientist, academic, politician, journalist and 1989 revolutionary. He was a consultant to Gigi Becali in 2003.-References:...
resigned from his job as Becali's adviser because of Becali's links with Noua Dreaptă
Noua Dreapta
Noua Dreaptă is an ultra-nationalist organization in Romania and Moldova, founded in 2000.-Beliefs:The group's beliefs include militant nationalism and strong Orthodox Christian religious convictions...
, a neofascist organization. Pavel claims that a few months after, Becali gave up those links.
Rapport with Băsescu and PD-L
Becali and the party he is leading are allied with the Democratic Liberal PartyDemocratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
in Bucharest's local council. The PD-L leaders announced they don't want a National Liberal vice-mayor, but they would rather support one from Becali's party.
Views on homosexuality
In line with his conservative Orthodox Christian views, Becali has often made inflammatory remarks in the press regarding LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people. During his 2004 presidential campaign one of the main themes of his rhetoric was opposition to sexual minorities, which he voiced over and over in interviews and TV appearances.
On May 26, 2006, Becali's personal foundation, the "George Becali Christian Foundation", along with the Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
and 22 NGOs, signed a protest letter calling on the government and the courts to ban the Bucharest GayFest 2006 parade, focussed that year on the theme of same-sex unions. A few days later, the Bucharest Court of Appeals ruled, however, that the parade was legal, and it was ensured significant police protection. Becali justified his opposition to the pride parade by stating that he "doesn't discriminate against homosexuals" but that, "They abuse their rights. This is proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
. They can do what they want in their homes, but not on the streets. I call on the Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
to defend the Christian faith and morals". Becali declared that he intended to pay for a referendum on same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Romania
Romania does not recognise same-sex unions, either in the form of same-sex marriage or civil unions.-2004 election campaign:Romanian President Traian Băsescu said during his electoral campaign of late 2004 that he sees nothing wrong with same sex marriage...
, which he believed 99% of people would vote against. He was also widely criticized in the media for asking, "Why [are there] so many homosexuals? I'll give two or five million dollars [for a referendum], so we can finish off all homosexuals in the country."
The media commentator Dan Tapalagă, in an editorial at the Cotidianul
Cotidianul
thumb|right|Old logo of Cotidianul newspaper, used in the [[inter-war period]], and in the early 1990sthumb|right|The logo used between 2003 and 2007...
newspaper, criticized the Romanian Orthodox Church for its coalition with Becali, and its opposition to the gay pride parade, which he sarcastically termed as "the sin of the Becalised Church".
In an opinion piece written after Becali's inflammatory declaration, journalist Radu Călin Cristea quoted Cristian Pârvulescu, a Romanian political analyst, who described Becali as a "populist who practices a superficial form of legionarism", referring to the fascist Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
movement which took place in 1930s Romania and whose members were named "legionnaires" (legionari). Cristea also warned that society and the political class should stop regarding Becali as an "inoffensive and amusing clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
".
In October 2006, Gigi Becali was awarded the LGBT community's "black ball" for the most homophobic personality in Romania, as part of the 2006 Gay Awards Gala which took place during the Gay Film Nights
Gay Film Nights
Gay Film Nights is an LGBT film festival organised annually in Cluj-Napoca, Romania by the LGBT association Be An Angel. By presenting a series of films with LGBT themes, it seeks to showcase LGBT culture and cinema, while also initiating a dialogue with other members of society...
Festival of Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
.
During Bucharest's annual GayFest in June 2007, Becali seemed to have tempered his homophobic stance. He declared in an interview that "I love them [homosexuals] in the same way that I love all other people. They can marry at the City Hall, every day, 10 of them if they want to. But in church, they don't have a place." When questioned about homosexuality in another interview conducted during the 2007 GayFest, he stated, "They can do what they want... marry... I don't have anything against that". On the question of whether he would accept a gay person in the New Generation Party
New Generation Party
The New Generation Party – Christian Democratic is a nationalist, Christian democratic political party in Romania....
of which he is president, Becali replied "But why would I have a problem with that? Who knows how many there already are?"
In September 2007, he resumed his homophobic speech, stating that if he becomes president of Romania
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
, he will "get rid of all homosexual and lesbian clubs" and create special neighbourhoods for homosexuals and lesbians, so that "they can stay there and leave us [alone]". He also referred to gays as "sinners" and said that "they should go to the priest if they have problems in their head". The secretary-general of the New Generation Party
New Generation Party
The New Generation Party – Christian Democratic is a nationalist, Christian democratic political party in Romania....
, Cătălin Dâncu, later appeared to distance himself from Becali's comments, declaring that, "As long as EU principles clearly state that minority rights must be respected, Romania as a member-state must respect them". Romania's National Council for Combating Discrimination
National Council for Combating Discrimination
The National Council for Combating Discrimination is an agency of the Romanian government, established in 2001 and responsible for applying Romanian and European Union anti-discrimination laws and managing the National Anti-Discrimination Plan. The legal status of the CNCD was established by the...
is investigating whether Becali's comments breach anti-discrimination and hate speech laws, stating that he could be fined up to 8000 lei
Lei
Lei may refer to:* Lei, the plural form of Leu, the name of two currencies. See Romanian leu and Moldovan leu* Lei , a Hawaiian flower necklace* Lei , a Chinese name* Lei, Italy, a town in Sardinia...
(~€2500).
Xenophobia
Some of Becali's remarks have been considered xenophobic; for instance, in May 2008, the National Audovisual Council fined the OTV channel for allowing Becali's "aggressive and xenophobic speech", which "instigated to hate against the Hungarian minority in Romania" to go on live, without any intervention from Dan Diaconescu, the talk show host. He also believes in a conspiracy of the "Hungarian Freemasons", claiming that it is them who are financing Steaua's adversary, CFR ClujCFR Cluj
CFR Cluj is a Romanian professional football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania. The club had spent most of their existence in the lower divisions, except for a spell in Divizia A in the 1970s, until they received significant financial backing from Árpád Pászkány in 2002...
.
In November 2001, Becali and his bodyguards insulted and physically abused Malonga Parfait, the host of a satirical football TV Show, "Fotbal la Maxx". Becali called Parfait a "monkey" allegedly because the latter is of African origin.
There have been numerous controversies with the violent declarations linked with the Steaua football team, including the use of slurs against the Roma and other minorities by fans and employees of Becali. He also sang in April 2005 a manea
Manele
Manele is a music style from Romania, generally associated with the Romani minority, though not exclusively....
which included a racial slur against the Roma.
Antisemitism
Becali has also made some antisemitic statements, like calling George CoposGeorge Copos
Gheorghe Copos is a Romanian businessman and politician.He is the owner of a chain of confectioner's shops, a chain of electronics shops, several hotels, as well as the football club Rapid Bucureşti....
a 'jidan', which in Romanian is a negative name given to the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. Iuliu Muresan, the chairman of Romanian football club CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj is a Romanian professional football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania. The club had spent most of their existence in the lower divisions, except for a spell in Divizia A in the 1970s, until they received significant financial backing from Árpád Pászkány in 2002...
has also accused Becali of antisemitism.
Violence
In February 2002, Becali cursed and threatened Cristian Tudor PopescuCristian Tudor Popescu
Cristian Tudor Popescu is a Romanian journalist, essayist and short-story writer. Author of science fiction stories during his youth, he has also hosted talk shows for various television stations, and had contributions as a literary critic and translator...
, a well-known journalist, in a café, after the latter had written the article "O statuie pentru Puiu Paşcu
Ioan Mircea Pascu
"Ioan Pascu" redirects here. For the actor, see Ioan Gyuri PascuIoan Mircea Pașcu is a Romanian politician, a Member of the European Parliament and a former Minister of Defense in the Adrian Năstase cabinet...
" ("A Statue for Puiu Paşcu" - a former Minister of Defense in the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
cabinet of Adrian Năstase
Adrian Nastase
Adrian Năstase is a Romanian politician who was the Prime Minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.He competed as the Social Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance candidate Traian Băsescu.He was...
) in Adevărul
Adevarul
Adevărul is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in 1871 and reestablished in 1888, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Romanian Kingdom's existence, adopting an independent pro-democratic position, advocating land reform and universal suffrage...
about the controversial land swap with the Army and the assault on Malonga Parfait. Becali told Popescu that he should have been shot and that the journalists destroyed Romania.
In 2005, Becali provoked controversy by using extremely vulgar language in an interview, insulting the reporter and the channel he worked for (Antena 1).
In July 2005, in a restaurant, Becali cursed, spat and spilled a glass of wine on Şerban Huidu
Serban Huidu
Şerban Huidu is a Romanian radio and TV star. He hosts, together with Mihai Găinuşă, the morning show on Romanian radio station Kiss FM, and a weekly satire show on the Romanian channel Prima TV....
, the creator of the satirical TV show "Cronica Cârcotaşilor
Cronica Cârcotasilor
Cronica Cârcotaşilor is a weekly satire show on Prima TV hosted by Şerban Huidu and Mihai Găinuşă.Loosely based on the Italian entertainment program Striscia la notizia, Cronica Cârcotaşilor ridicules various celebrities from the current Romanian political, media and showbiz scene by exposing...
". Becali got the nickname "Ioan Botezătorul" (John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
) after this incident.
Following a match of Steaua Bucureşti in April 2006, his bodyguards used violence against a female reporter of Realitatea TV
Realitatea TV
Realitatea TV is a Romanian news television network. The channel is distributed by many cable operators in Romania and Moldova. Its main owner is Romanian businessman Elan Schwartzenberg....
after Becali asked them to "take her away from that place".
He currently is one of the favorite subjects of the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n media, due to his frequent slips of the tongue and inflammatory remarks. For example, in July 2005, a reporter called Becali to ask him some questions related to the Steaua Bucureşti football club. Becali used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of curses addressed to Antena 1 and Dan Voiculescu
Dan Voiculescu
Dan Voiculescu is a Romanian politician and former business man. He is the Vicepresident of the Romanian Senate and founding president of the Conservative Party in Romania. ....
. He himself said in the dialogue that "he is not a civilized man".
In 2008, he admitted that when he lost money in a casino, he lost his temper and began throwing chairs toward the windows, breaking them.
On April 2, 2009 George Becali was arrested over illegally holding 3 people against their will, because he suspected they were involved in stealing his car. He was arrested for 29 days, but he got out of jail after 15 days. Four other people, his bodyguards, Cătălin Zmărăndescu, Ştefan Dediu, Nicolae Dumitraşcu and Dumitru Beciual, who were also involved in the incident, were issued arrest warrants as well. Becali announced his candidacy for the European Parliament from his prison cell. Nick Thorpe, the BBC's correspondent to Romania, says that many Romanians see him as a victim of crime rather than a perpetrator, and that sympathy about the case undoubtedly helped Becali win a seat in Brussels for the nationalist Greater Romania Party
Greater Romania Party
The Greater Romania Party is a Romanian radical right-wing, ultra-nationalist political party, led by Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The party is sometimes referred to in English as the Great Romania Party....
. Romanian judges initially barred Becali from taking his MEP seat due to ongoing police investigation. Eventually, the Romanian Supreme Court lifted all bans and Becali was allowed to take his Brussels seat. Becali spent three week in jail during the investigation.
Various
In September 2007, Becali sparked controversy when he insulted parliamentarian Lavinia Sandru, stating that she should "go and become a candidate for the ring road, not for the European Parliament", a veiled reference to prostitutionProstitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. He has also remarked that a woman "has no more value" after she has given birth to a child. This led to a group of twenty-six women reporting Becali to the National Council for Combating Discrimination
National Council for Combating Discrimination
The National Council for Combating Discrimination is an agency of the Romanian government, established in 2001 and responsible for applying Romanian and European Union anti-discrimination laws and managing the National Anti-Discrimination Plan. The legal status of the CNCD was established by the...
for contravening Romania's anti-discrimination laws. On October 6, the Council ruled that Becali's comments were discriminatory towards women and "affected the dignity of women", Becali being fined 500 lei.
Becali has also been sued various times, mostly over slander, by the football coach Anghel Iordănescu
Anghel Iordanescu
Anghel Iordănescu is a Major General and former Romanian football striker, currently a politician. In 2007 Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member of the Romanian Senate, sitting on the Social Democratic Party benches.-Career...
, politician Radu Berceanu
Radu Berceanu
Radu Mircea Berceanu is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party , he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Dolj County from 1990 to 2004, and has sat in the Romanian Senate since 2004 , representing the same county...
and a Divizia A referee, Cristian Balaj.
