Rainbow paint on Domnul Goe statue at Ploiești station draws political backlash

Urban art installation at Gara de Sud

During the fifth edition of the ARTOWN urban art festival (ARTOWN Now), street artist Corina Monea, known as OCU, painted the bronze statue of literary character Domnul Goe at Ploiești South railway station in rainbow colours on 19 September 2026. The installation covers the character's familiar sailor suit and beret. The statue stands at a primary entrance to the city, greeting passengers where Romanian playwright Ion Luca Caragiale operated a station buffet over a century ago. The festival brought more than 100 Romanian and international artists to Ploiești to paint murals across grey residential apartment blocks, aged trams, and city walls.

Political backlash from PSD and PNL

The repainting provoked swift condemnation from local branches of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL). PSD Ploiești published a statement on Facebook describing the intervention as ideological mutilation and a desecration of a cultural symbol. The party asserted that Ploiești is not a playground for an LGBT agenda, claiming the intervention attempted to force a woke agenda onto a community rooted in faith and history. The social democrats demanded that those responsible cover the costs of returning the statue to its previous condition. PNL Deputy and Prahova county leader Mircea Roșca posted his objections on Saturday evening, arguing that the display conflicted with local Christian traditions and family values.

I was unpleasantly surprised to see the statue transformed through an artistic intervention into the colors of the rainbow, associated today with LGBT symbolism. I respect every person's freedom, I respect diversity and I do not intend to judge forms of artistic expression, however controversial they may be. But I can and must say that I do not agree with this intervention upon a symbol of Ploiești.

Defense from the artist and local leadership

Ploiești Mayor Mihai Polițeanu, a former USR parliamentarian, rejected the political criticism, stating that a rainbow will always remain a rainbow and a sign of good weather after rain, not an ideology. Corina Monea told local publication Observatorul Prahovean that her work drew inspiration from the natural rainbow that appears after rain, aiming to celebrate diversity and inclusion without reproducing a political emblem.

I did not want to provoke a cultural war. I wanted to make art.

Debate over color schemes and local priorities

Organizers of the ARTOWN festival and online commentators pointed out that the painted statue features seven distinct colour bands matching the natural spectrum, unlike the classic six-stripe Pride flag. Social media users also defended the author's legacy, arguing that Caragiale himself expressed humanist values and humor. Several residents responded to the political row by noting that Ploiești South station has lacked a functional public toilet for 30 years, arguing that basic passenger amenities warranted greater civic attention. Writer Alex Tocilescu visited the station around 00:30 on 20 September 2026, observing that the figure appeared tall and amusing rather than political while watching a passenger dispute station access with a nighttime security guard.