|
RRI newsletter subcription
(e-mail address):
|
 |
Archives:
|
|
| Political Assassinations in Romania – The Codreanu-Manciu Case |
| (2011-11-14) |
| Last updated: 2011-11-21 14:33 EET |
One of the trademarks of political extremism, whether fascism or communism, was political violence, at times going all the way to political assassinations. The Romanian far right was no stranger to this practice, being responsible for dozens of such killings. The first was the work of none other than the man who was to become the leader of the Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. His victim was the prefect of the Iasi police Constantin Manciu, a brutal man who created a lot of tension after taking office.
We talked to the historian Ioan Scurtu about the Codreanu-Manciu case. He began with an outline of the context preceding the murder: “Constantin Manciu was a controversial figure in the sense that he was appointed with the stated task of restoring order to the city of Iasi. In 1920, 1921 and 1922, the city’s university had been the scene of several acts of violence perpetrated by Romanian nationalist students led by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu against Jewish students. Genuine assault teams were placed at the entrance to the school and wouldn’t allow Jewish students to go in. As a result, the liberal government headed by Ion I.C. Bratianu decided to appoint an energetic figure as head of police to end this state of disarray. Manciu himself tried to carry out his duties as responsibly as possible, but resorted to abuse and illegal action on several occasions. For example, he forbade students to make bricks to build a home for the children of poor farmers who didn’t have the money to pay rent. There were times when Manciu himself used violence against the students, either at the site where they usually gathered or in police custody.”
This attitude earned Constantin Manciu a lot of resentment. Due to the strong reaction of nationalist student organisations, the situation soon reached boiling point. Manciu had to appear in court and defend himself against abuse charges. It was during this trial that Manciu was shot dead by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.
Ioan Scurtu tells us what happened: “This episode occurred in October 1924, when the father of one of the students beaten up by Manciu brought him to court. Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was the student’s lawyer. During the trial, Manciu displayed an arrogant, insulting attitude towards his accusers. He claimed he was a law enforcer and as such, he was entitled to use any means at his disposal to do his job, unlike those who broke the law. He taunted Corneliu Zelea Codreanu who stormed out when the trial was over, but before the sentence was passed. He waited for Manciu outside the building, and when Manciu got to the top of the stairs he took a gun out and shot him. Soon afterwards, Codreanu ordered a carriage and gave himself up to the authorities. During the trial that followed, he assumed full responsibility for his actions”.
Codreanu’s trial stirred a lot of strong emotions among the nationalists. The jury acquitted Codreanu on grounds of self-defence: “The trial was supposed to take place in Iasi. However, with students rallying around Codreanu, the trial was moved to Focsani. However, this town was relatively close to Iasi and many young people from Iasi and its vicinity came to watch the trial. So the authorities decided to move the trial again, this time to the other end of the country, to Turnu Severin. During this trial, the witnesses called by Codreanu and the man himself had a dynamic, or, better said, aggressive attitude, saying Manciu was in fact the guilty party and that Codreanu’s action was nothing but an act of justice. The trial ended with the acquittal of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, which was a big surprise for everyone, for after all, a man had been killed. At no point did Codreanu try to deny the charges against him and in a book from 1936 entitled ‘For the Legionnaires’, he tried to justify his action”.
On the face of things, one might say the killer is guilty and the victim is innocent. Ioan Scurtu says things aren’t always black and white: “There was an excess of zeal from Manciu. Ever since he was appointed, he wanted to prove he was up for the task. At the suggestion of the Bratianu government, Manciu was even decorated by King Ferdinand for managing to restore order to the city of Iasi. And it’s true that in 1923-1924 there were no wide-scale student protests in Iasi and Jewish students could again attend classes, and this was all the work of Manciu. His acts of violence did not take place inside the university, but in the garden where students used to meet or at the police headquarters, so away from public eye. In the end however, he paid for his acts of abuse. Personally, I believe this was an isolated case, despite some dreadful crimes blamed on the Iron Guard. On the other hand, we should keep in mind that the Iron Guard people themselves were victims of political oppression. I would say both sides share in the guilt, which of course doesn’t justify assassination as a form of political action”.
The trial opposing Codreanu and Manciu is but a fragment in the history of a people who always believed in the educational value of physical punishment. It shows, once again, that violence will only breed violence.
|
|
| |
WMA |
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
MP3 |
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
AAC+ |
|
|
48kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
 Historical mascot of
RRI |
2026-06-07
Print
Listen again