Canada’s largest protest against the pandemic measures has been going on for more than a week. Protesters in Sofia and other European countries also followed the example of those who organized the rally in Canada. Fewer people rallied in the streets of Bulgaria’s capital city, which is perhaps due to the fact that the protest was not organized by political forces and there was not enough information in the media. However, the participants showed enthusiasm in the social networks. “The Freedom Convoy” continues until we achieve our common objective – the abolition of the discriminatory measures! Together we can say NO to fear!

Diverging information and the lack of transparency and logic in the decisions of politicians has made two-thirds of Bulgarians more suspicious and they refuse to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. This was one of the reasons why protesters gathered in front of the National Assembly building on January 12 and demanded the abolition of the green certificate.

• What message the protest against green certificates is conveying

Contrary to the claim that the protesters were supporters of “Vazrazhdane” party, whose election campaign was entirely based on messages against the mandatory vaccination and the green certificates, academics, intellectuals, teachers, parents and medics also participated at the rally.

“Personally, I protested against the division of society into vaccinated and unvaccinated people – Svetlana Zhivkova, Senior Assistant Professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences noted.

 "Everything has boundaries. People will make their own choice, if they are well-informed. Moreover, one can catch other diseases as well. All of us received vaccines included in Bulgaria’s immunization schedule. However, those who are trying to implement mass vaccination have changed the concept of vaccine. In other words, we are not anti-vaxxers.”

Like many colleagues who know how to handle scientific literature, Svetlana Zhivkova is acquainted with the information concerning vaccines and the coronavirus pandemic published by reputable medical journals. She is adamant that the society does not have access to the whole information. In her words, the adverse effects of vaccines are not reported intentionally.

“One must be aware of the risks of the adverse effects reported by the people who voluntary receive Covid-19 vaccines- the researcher contends.- That is why the protest aims to form a working group of doctors, virologists, microbiologists, immunologists to discuss the meaning of vaccination against Covid-19. They must discuss all pros and cons fairly and honestly. Then, they should inform the Bulgarian citizens about their conclusion.”

Many protesters believe that experts are being silenced. In their view, people who pursue a political line towards mass vaccination are allowed to speak at the expense of the real clinicians. The lack of logic in the statements of certain experts often contradicts analyses made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the national public health agency of the United States- CDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), renowned medical experts in Bulgaria contend. They are adamant that there has been a deliberate speculation regarding the Covid-19 fatalities. In the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a leading expert in the resuscitation field warned that Bulgaria lacked reanimation specialists, which is one of the reasons why so many patients with moderate Covid-19 lose the battle against the virus. These facts have been noticed by those who oppose the green certificates and the vaccines, although they are being marginalized to a naive crowd believing in conspiracy theories.

Photos: Darina Grigorova, BGNES, bntnews.bg