A Facebook post by a Romanian MEP claims that JD Vance said Romania is a French colony. However, both the statement itself and the assertion that he said this are false.

Washington

A social media post circulated by Romanian MEP Diana Sociocca alleged that U.S. Vice President JD Vance called Romania a French colony and encouraged Romanians to revolt against French rule. The post included what appeared to be a news article from Europa Libera, but closer examination revealed inconsistencies such as incorrect titles and formatting.

Europa Libera's director confirmed the story and quotes attributed to Vance are false and were never published by their outlet. While Vance has criticized Romanian authorities in the past, he has not made any statements about France's role in Romania. The incident is part of a broader trend of fake news and anti-Western disinformation targeting Romania.

JD Vance did not say Romania is a French colony

No, J.D. Vance did not claim Romania is a French colony. A social media post shared by far-right Romanian MEP Diana Sociocca claims that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called on Romanians to free themselves from French rule through a revolution. The post features what seems to be a news article from reputable news platform Europa Libera, the Romanian branch of Radio Free Europe, with a picture of Vance making a speech. It reports that J.D. Vance claimed Romania is no longer a democratic country, but instead a French colony. Sociocca's message accompanying the post reads, The Americans have given the green light. Only a revolution can save what was once Romania. However, neither Vance nor any other U.S. public official suggested in any statement that Romania is a French colony. The article in the post poorly imitates the Europa Libera website. The font, for one, is completely different. Meanwhile, it refers to Vance as a senator, and not as the U.S. vice president. The director of Europa Libera confirmed to EuroVerify that the story and the quotes attributed to Vance are false, and that Europa Libera did not publish it. She did note Vance had been critical of the Romanian authorities at the Munich security conference in February this year, which may have inspired the false information. He claimed that Romania cancelled the first round of November 2024 presidential elections based on what he called shaky suspicions of an intelligence service. But again, Vance did not mention France's possible role as a colonizer, either in Romania or in any other country. This is just one example of a fake news report for which a clone of sorts is made of an established news website to spread fake news. Europa Libera's director told EuroVerify that more generally, the Romanian online environment is being flooded with pro-Russian, anti-Western attacks. She added that since 2024, these attacks are focused mainly against France and President Macron. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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