section_path: Civil activism (2004–2019)
section_name: Civil activism (2004–2019)
paragraph_text: Civil activism (2004–2019)
  
  His first public involvement in civic activism took place in 2004, when he held a banner reading "Heroes never die!" in Timișoara during the 15th commemoration of the Romanian Revolution, that as a part of the revolutions of 1989 ended 42 years of Communist rule in Romania, 24 of which under Nicolae Ceaușescu. Two years later, he led a protest in Bucharest in support of Moldovan students from the Gheorghe Asachi Romanian-French High School of Chișinău. In his youth, Simion and several peers painted graffiti reading " Bessarabia is Romania" at major traffic junctions across the country. Described by Adevărul in 2025 as his first notable protest, on 14 October 2008, Simion was invited to the Romanian Parliament by UDMR senator Péter Eckstein-Kovács. During this visit, he engaged in a verbal confrontation with senator Șerban Nicolae, telling him:
  
  "You're a communist and a neo-communist. You're the defender of Iliescu and the Securitate My uncle died in the Revolution, but your uncle is Iliescu, and you're Iliescu's lackey"
  
  Simion gained further public attention in 2009 when on 3 March, the birthday of former president Ion Iliescu (1990–1996, 2000–2004), he lit candles in front of Iliescu's home in memory of the casualties of the Revolution and the June 1990 Mineriad. Simion referred to Illiescu as "the criminal of 1989" and was eventually held in custody of the police. In April 2019, Iliescu was charged with crimes against humanity for actions during those events, with the case unresolved as of 2025. On 17 April 2011, Simion founded Action 2012, a coalition of NGOs and civic associations advocating for the unification of Moldova and Romania. In 2012, he organised a protest in Moldova's second-largest city Bălți under the banner "Bălți feels Romanian". Action 2012 participated in the 2015–2016 protests in Moldova sparked by the disappearance of $1 billion from the Moldovan banks in 2014. In May 2015, the Moldovan Migration and Asylum Bureau ruled Simion undesirable in the Republic of Moldova and was consequently expelled, being classified by the Intelligence and Security Service as "a potential threat to the stability of the country".
  
  In 2017, Simion criticised the Romanian state for not preparing enough events to celebrate the centenary of the Great Union as other countries like Poland had done. Therefore, he founded the Alliance for the Centenary and announced several events for 2018, including a march from Alba Iulia in Romania to Chișinău, the capital of Moldova.
  
  The Centenary March took place from 1 July to 1 September 2018, covering approximately 1,300 kilometres across eleven stages. Organised by Simion, the march aimed to highlight significant sites related to World War I and the Great Union of Romania. The march began on 1 July in Alba Iulia, in front of the Coronation Cathedral, where Ferdinand I was proclaimed king. It concluded on 1 September in Chișinău, Moldova. One of its primary objectives was to promote the unification of Moldova with Romania, with participants striving to gather one million signatures for a referendum on the issue.
  
  The Moldovan authorities initially prevented the participants from crossing the border, but eventually allowed them to enter. The march culminated in a large gathering in Chișinău, where thousands welcomed the participants at the Great National Assembly Square for a final protest. However, Simion was unable to attend the final stage in Moldova, as he had issued a travel ban on 28 August.