Romania was abuzz Tuesday after prehistoric gold artifacts were stolen from a Dutch museum, with the country's rising far-right branding the theft an "attack on identity."
Robbers used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, over the weekend and nab three antique bracelets and a 2,500-year-old gold helmet.
The Dacian artifacts were on loan from Romania's National History Museum in Bucharest, alongside more than 500 pieces from other Romanian museums that are part of a temporary exhibition.
Following public outrage in Romania, the director of the Bucharest museum, Ernest Oberlaender-Tarnoveanu, was sacked Tuesday for loaning the pieces to the Dutch museum in the first place.
Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said he was "outraged that priceless objects from Romania's treasure" had been stolen.
Dutch police said late Tuesday that "several leads" suggested the thieves came from northern Holland, adding that a team of "dozens" of investigators and specialists were working to recover the objects.
Romania is considering whether to claim "unprecedented damages" from the Dutch museum, which Ciolacu alleged was not sufficiently guarded at the time of the theft.
The Dutch government has pledged to make every effort to find the thieves and recover the artifacts.
Romania's far right, emboldened by its strong showing in presidential and parliamentary elections in late 2024, has denounced the authorities for not doing enough to protect the objects.
The far-right AUR party, which has used symbols from the Dacian civilization in the past, labeled the theft "a direct attack on our national history and identity."
The party also claimed that the Netherlands had obtained the artifacts in exchange for approving Romania's recent accession to Europe's border-free Schengen Area.
Romanian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, the surprise first-round winner of presidential elections in November that were subsequently canceled over claims of Russian interference, has called for resignations in the government.
