January 31. 2012

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) supports the position of People Against Racism (ХоРа) to protest against the taking place of the Lukov march. Below is thefull text of their position, as announced yesterday.

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The civil rights initiative People Against Racism (ХоРа) appeals to the Sofia Municipality and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria to ban the International neo-nazi/racist conference scheduled for February 17th 2012, as well as the neo-nazi torchlight procession (known as Lukov march) on February 18th, 2012.

Here follows the ХоРа’s official position addressed to Mr. Danail Kirilov (Regionalexecutive of Sofia Municipality), Mrs. Yordanka Fandukova (Mayor of Sofia Municipality). Mr. Elen Gerdzhikov (Chair of Sofia City Council), Mr. Krassimir Dimitrov (temporarily serving as Director of “Public order, security and mass events”) and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Konstantin Penchev.

In 2012, neo-nazi groups from Bulgaria and other countries are planning to organize the annual so-called Lukov march on the main streets of Sofia. Beneath the veneer of this year’s motto “Day of the Heroes”, the organizers aim to demonstrate the cult for outright fascist and racist views of the once Minister of War and WWII veteran, General Hristo Lukov. What is more, the scheduled date for the march – February 18th, will be an opportunity for the participants to use Vasil Levski’s name to draw misleading connections between Levski’s belief in equality and the peaceful coexistence between all ethnicities, and the anti-Semitic ideology of General Lukov.

Traditionally, the procession is attended by Bulgarian organizations, such as BNA (Bulgarian National Alliance), National Resistance, Blood and Honor, among others. Their members’ hatred for what they call the “anti-Bulgarian” and “immoral” part of today’s Bulgarian population, including jews, roma, foreigners, homosexual and leftist minorities, is hardly concealed. It is not rare for them to threaten or physically hurt “their enemies.” Recently, the representative of the national board of BNA Assen Krustev and young neo-nazi Stefan Mehandzhiiski were pronounced guilty of producing and mounting a swastika-embroidered red flag on the chimney of the former “Sila” factory in the town of Pazardzhik.

Members of neo-nazi and neo-fascist groups from other countries (Germany,Russia, Romania, Belgium) – often banned in their own countries by their respective governments, also take part in Lukov march. A well-known media incident reported last December attests to the nature and scale of the event: a group of German neo-nazis visited Bulgaria two years ago and during their stay they organized a concert for a band in Sofia and organized a shooting workshop. On February 17th, the Lukov march organizers scheduled an International Conference on “The state of Europe and the white world: emphasizing nationalism as the only saving grace of the European civilization and the white race as a whole” – again in Sofia.

Does anyone still harbor any illusions about the true nature of the organizers and the purpose of the procession disguised as a “cultural” activity?

With torchlights, military uniforms and  “at first glance," heroic slogans, and with the permission of the Sofia Municipality, the march is expected to proceed triumphantly through the streets of a city applying for 2019 cultural capital of Europe. Will we please Europe, shocked by the kebap killings, swastikas on every corner and marches bearing the name of an anti-semitic general such asLukov? Are those the values shared by the citizens of Sofia and the its institutions – to engage in silence before the pompous demonstration of the most odious anti-human ideology, political sluggishness and social decay? At the beginning of the 21st century?

The XoPa civil rights initiative against neo-nazism, racism and xenophobia demands a complete ban over the Lukov march in 2012 and the years to come.

The regional authorities and the municipality of Sofia must warrant the absence of such happenings.
As citizens and guests of Sofia and Bulgaria we unequivocally refuse to be identified with any anti-democratic, militarized and racist ideologies and marches!

“No” to Lukov march!

Source: ХоРа