Dear friends ,
Pride events are kicking off in cities around the world. Millions of people are getting ready to celebrate with peaceful marches and huge parties.
But Pride isn't a party for everyone. In Sofia, Bulgaria – the country's capital – Pride marchers are facing unprecedented violence.
The National Resistance, a neo-Nazi group known for committing hate crimes, successfully registered an official event at the same time and location as Sofia Pride, calling on participants to bring "brooms and shovels with long wooden handles" to "cleanse Sofia and Bulgaria from the garbage."
This is a clear call for violence against the LGBT community at Sofia Pride, due to happen this Saturday. As the President of the European Pride Organisers Association, I want to let you know that this is one of the clearest, public threats to Pride we have seen. But you can help stand up for the LGBT community in Bulgaria.
Homophobia is still very prevalent in Bulgaria’s society and many LGBT people face hate-speech, discrimination, and violent attacks. Every year, bigoted nationalist groups try to disrupt the Pride march. But their anti-gay rhetoric has never been so openly violent and aggressive until this year.
On the impending attack, the National Resistance also stated, "We saw that some sick people had decided to do the parade of sodomy, but this time they will have to miss it... you are welcome to clear everything "unclean" from our capital and then from Bulgaria."
Sofia's mayor has the ability to stand up for the safety of the local LGBT community by publicly supporting Pride and condemning the planned violent attack.
Thanks for going All Out,
Kristine Garina,
President of EPOA – European Pride Organisers Association
