June 2024
Promoting open pro-Russian propaganda in Romania is traditionally difficult due to the general opposition of Romanians to Russian imperialist politics. Particularly, the war in Ukraine has accentuated this, stirring in the minds of the majority of Romanians concerns about a potential invasion.
In February 2024, the lyrics and video for the song “Macarena” by trap artist Erika Isac caused an amount of uproar in public debate. A feminist manifesto with a particular focus on sexual violence and the objectification of women, the clip did not shy away from foul language or implied nudity. It was followed by “Women in Parliament”, dealing with the issue of under-representation of women in politics and “Industry Plant”, addressing some of the criticism directed against “Macarena”.
The following publication presents the findings of GlobalFocus Center and its regional partners’ monitoring of disinformation in 17+ countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, Russia, the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans. This overview provides a synthetic image of the COVID-19-related disinformation and misinformation in the broader region.