Art. 30 - Freedom of expression
(1) The freedom to express thoughts, opinions or beliefs and the freedom of creation of any kind, orally, in writing, through images, through sounds or through other means of communication in public, are inviolable.

(2) Censorship of any kind is prohibited.

(3) Freedom of the press also implies the freedom to set up publications.

(4) No publication may be suppressed.

(5) The law may impose on the mass media the obligation to make public the source of financing.

(6) Freedom of expression may not prejudice the dignity, honor, private life of the person or the right to one's own image.

(7) Defamation of the country and the nation, incitement to war of aggression, national, racial, class or religious hatred, incitement to discrimination, territorial separatism or public violence, as well as obscene manifestations, contrary to good morals, are prohibited by law. .

(8) The civil responsibility for the information or for the creation brought to public knowledge rests with the publisher or director, the author, the organizer of the artistic event, the owner of the means of multiplication, of the radio or television station, in accordance with the law. Press offenses are established by law.

Source: https://www.constitutia.ro
You can easily use google translate if you're curious, it's very accurate.

@alyx Romania is very pro-freedom of speech.

Unless... you talk something the government dislikes

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/10/16/Italian-Parliament-introduces-holocaust-denial-legislation/32801381924558/

@waltercool
It's a mix of good and bad. Recently a bill was also approved that punishes people for basically hate speech against gypsies. But at the same time, communist parties are illegal.

@alyx @waltercool "Recently a bill was also approved that punishes people for basically hate speech against gypsies"

Good luck locking up 95% of the country.

@ChristiJunior @waltercool
I think gypsies are over 10% of the country, so you'd lock up only about 85% probably.

@ChristiJunior @waltercool
Looking up the numbers now... apparently gypsies are 3%... I wonder why I had that 10% number in my head then...

@alyx @waltercool That's the number who openly identify as Gypsies - Romanians with at least some Gypsy blood are way more numerous, but they're also properly assimilated, they go to school, they work for a living etc, they're just a little more brown and have more siblings than the average Romanian.

@ChristiJunior @waltercool
I wouldn't guarantee the siblings part, but from my experience growing up, there were definitely a lot of kids during school/uni that you could say were more brown, but from their behavior, how they talked, dressed etc. you wouldn't be able to think they were anything other than Romanian.

@alyx @waltercool I also remember this one soccer player Bănel Nicoliță, who was very brown-skinned and had like 5 brothers - he was obviously of Gypsy origin, but since he didn't act like a stereotypical Gypsy, the media made no note of it, at least back when I was following Romanian sports.

Romanians is general seem pretty laidback for all their superficial "bigotry" - they generally don't support gay marriage for example, but they also don't fanatically oppose it, and weren't interested in validating PSD's demagogic use of the gay marriage ban referendum.

@ChristiJunior @waltercool
Thing is, PSD didn't really give a crap about the referendum either. What happened was, that a religious non-profit, gathered signatures from the population to change the constitution to oppose gay marriage. And if someone gathers enough of them, they can force the government to hold an official referendum (it's in the constitution I believe). PSD happened to be in power at that time, but they didn't promote the referendum that much. I suspect they might have actually opposed the initiative, but at the same time didn't have the guts to do it openly, as to maintain their image.

As for Nicoliță, he was loved by the entire country. He was a good football player, and always gave it his all. It was of course widely known he was gypsy, but no one cared one bit as far as I can tell. Not sure if he's still playing. I don't follow sports much.