On Tuesday the Bulgarian National Radio hosted a discussion with international participation against hate speech. The reason was a march planned for February 15 in memory of General Lukov, leader of the Union of Bulgarian National Legions from 1932 to 1943, known for his extreme anti-Semitic ideas. In a statement the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria "Shalom" has pointed out that the planned march undermines the efforts of the management of Sofia to promote tolerance and respect.

The document is supported by the Bulgarian Antifascist Union, the Fatherland Union, the Grand Mufti's Office in Bulgaria, the National Union of Religious Communities in Bulgaria, Central Israeli Religious Council, and others. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms also opposed the planned event.

"We appeal to competent institutions, including Sofia Municipality to take advantage of the powers conferred on them by law and to take adequate measures to prevent events such as the Lukov march," MRF leader Lutfi Mestan said in parliament.

Bulgarians have much more tolerance than hate, Israeli ambassador to Bulgaria Shaul Raz Khamis said at the forum organized by BNR.

Let us recall that the Bulgarian people saved 50,000 fellow Jews from death, despite strong pressure from Nazi Germany and an extremist minority in the country.

Here's what Maxim Benvenisti, president of the Shalom Organisation of the Jews in Bulgaria said in an interview for Radio Bulgaria:

“Bulgarians are uniquely tolerant when it comes to religion and ethnicity. According to great writers, the Bulgarian could kill for a piece of land but would never kill over religion or race. Bulgarians are tolerant people but are not so much tolerant when it comes to dialogue and negotiations, which can prevent conflicts in the modern world.”

Benvenisti pointed out that many people benefit from hate speech. These are mainly political manipulators. According to him Bulgarians should start discussing the ongoing processes in order to prevent risks for the security of Bulgaria in the future:

"Living in hatred is not inherent in man. It is true that now we talk about hate speech. But tomorrow we may start talking about actions. It is impossible for everybody to live in peace and love but it is not necessary to hate each other.”

In Europe there is a trend of spreading hate speech, including against immigrants. Do these processes affect Bulgaria?

"Europe is a continent inhabited by people in whom the sense of egoism is highly developed, and we are no exception. Compared to the rest of the world, we strive to keep the goods that have accumulated in the area during history. Bulgaria despite being poor is actually much richer than many countries in Africa, Asia, or even South America. Egoism makes us want to keep aliens away. In the past people in Europe hated Jews as they seemed like people taking the bread out of the hands of the ordinary German, Austrian, Czech, Hungarian, or French. Today we mostly hate aliens as they are competitors. If we continued this way, would commit a social suicide long before the demographic crisis took its toll. Immigrants are welcome, as long as they are decent people obeying the laws. If an immigrant fails to integrate, their children could do it. I see nothing wrong with that."

English version: Alexander Markov