​Top governing party politician shows middle fingers to Romania opposition in rebuke to European Commission criticism

An influential deputy of Romania’s governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), Florin Iordache, used both his middle fingers towards the Opposition in Parliament on Wednesday, shortly after he rebuked European Commission calls for Romanian authorities to step back in their efforts to curb Judicial reform.

Iorache, who heads a special parliamentary commission in charge with dealing with changes to the laws governing the Romanian judiciary, said his party would „go on” with changes to the laws. The changes have been harshly criticised by the opposition and EU bodies – the latest of which came with a report by the European Commission on Tuesday. The so-called CVM report on progress of reform in the Romanian judiciary blasted moves by the PSD to stifle the fight against corruption in the country.

Iordache said they would go on no matter what the EC says.

As he stepped away from the stand, he waved his middle fingers towards the opposition parties, which he attacked during his speech for criticising the changes to the laws of justice.

Later, he was asked by journalists about his obscene gestures and he first suggested it was an illusion, then asked: „well, I had… hands in the air, well, what’s the problem?” and returned to criticism of the European Commission and the way it treated the Romanian Parliament as a „second hand parliament”.