Almost 60% of Romanians say Legionary Movement was criminal, poll finds

A new poll conducted by Avangarde highlights divisions among Romanians over the country’s wartime history, with a majority describing the fascist Legionary Movement as criminal while opinions remain split on Marshal Ion Antonescu’s legacy.

According to the survey cited by News.ro, 59% of respondents said they believe the Legionary Movement, a far-right organization that collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II, was a criminal group. Meanwhile, 17% disagreed, while nearly a quarter either did not know or chose not to answer.

The perception varied significantly by education level: 73% of respondents with higher education agreed with the criminal designation, compared with just over half among those with only secondary or lower schooling.

Views of Ion Antonescu, Romania’s wartime leader executed in 1946 for war crimes, remain sharply divided. Nearly 29% of those polled said they considered him a hero, while 35% labeled him a war criminal. Another 36% said they either did not know or declined to respond.

Among university graduates, 35% described Antonescu as a hero, but 41% saw him as a war criminal. By contrast, only 18% of those with lower education levels viewed him positively, while about a third in this group regarded him as a war criminal.

The survey, conducted between August 19 and 28 by telephone on a sample of 1,100 adults, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, with a confidence level of 95%.

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