OPINION Justice, stormed on TikTok: "Round 2 back", a dangerous manipulation

The emergence of a wave of over 100 complaints in the courts of Romania, in the last two weeks, under the pretext of obtaining a "round 2 back" in the presidential elections, raises serious questions about the use of justice for political and propaganda purposes. Beyond the emotion aroused in the online environment and the spectacle promoted on TikTok, the underlying issue exposes a worrying reality: the instrumentalization of the judicial system as a vehicle for conspiracy theories and for challenging the constitutional order.

The initiative coordinated on TikTok by former judge Lăcrămioara Axinte is a dangerous example of how free access to justice can be perverted, transforming it into a strategy of media and legal pressure. Mobilizing the masses to file identical or similar complaints, based on pre-filled templates and explained in video tutorials, has nothing to do with the honest exercise of a legal right. On the contrary, it strikingly resembles a campaign to intoxicate the public space and the justice system, with the aim of undermining the legitimacy of the fundamental institutions of the state.

The fact that these complaints aim to annul the decision of December 6, 2024 issued by the Constitutional Court - an institution whose role is precisely to interpret the Constitution and ensure its observance - reveals a serious confusion or, more likely, an intentional manipulation. In Romania, the decisions of the Constitutional Court are not administrative acts and, therefore, cannot be suspended or annulled through administrative litigation. This principle is essential for the balance of powers in the state and for avoiding legal anarchy.

In this context, the isolated decision of Judge Alexandru Vasile of the Ploieşti Court of Appeal - which suspended the execution of the CCR decision - not only defies the legal framework, but also fuels serious suspicions regarding his independence and possible personal or political interests. His previous connections with the Ministry of Justice and his expressed desire to return to the ministry add an additional shade of controversy. The Ploieşti case shows how vulnerable the judicial system can become to pressures and backstage games when the control and self-regulation mechanisms (Judicial Inspection, SSM) do not act quickly and firmly.

The approach coordinated by Lăcrămioara Axinte is not isolated from the political context of the moment. The former judge has long been a promoter of anti-DNA, anti-reformist, anti-Ukraine and anti-vaccine positions, and her association with the pro-Călin Georgescu discourse (a character with pro-Russian sympathies) and with the extremist zone in Romanian politics completes the picture of a movement that aims not to defend democracy, but to undermine it from within. Moreover, Lăcrămioara Axinte participated in the protests in Victoriei Square in favor of Călin Georgescu.

The presentation of the CCR as an enemy of the "people" and the instigation of citizens to act against a constitutional institution are classic elements of populist rhetoric, in which it is suggested that the "popular will" should prevail even in the face of the rules of the rule of law. In reality, this "popular will" is artificially fueled by disinformation and emotional manipulation.

This case should be a wake-up call for the entire judicial system. Skirmishes like the one in Ploieşti or the use of courts as popular tribunals for settling political accounts discredit the act of justice and transform it into an instrument of chaos, not of equity. What is worse is that we are witnessing a contamination of the legal space with methods specific to social networks: viralization, gross simplifications, calls-to-action based on emotions and not on legal arguments.

When the law becomes a "trend" on TikTok, and sentences are given under the pressure of likes and views, the very idea of the rule of law begins to fall apart.