site.btaAnnual March Held in Sofia in Memory of General Lukov
A march in memory of General Hristo Lukov (1888-1943) took place in Sofia on Saturday evening. The march covered a short route to the house where Gen. Lukov lived, on which a commemorative plaque is mounted.
There was heightened police presence, and traffic on part of the nearby boulevard was briefly blocked.
Participants in the march chanted "General Hristo Lukov" and "Banned but not forgotten". They lit candles in front of the house. The event was organized by the Bulgarian National Union.
Lukov was a popular military commander but was also known for his close links to the Third Reich and his activity as leader of the far-right Union of Bulgarian National Legions.
On Friday, Sofia Municipality said that in June 2025, the Edelweiss Bulgarian National Union asked to hold the procession on February 14, 2026 on a specific route from central Sofia to Lukov's house. The Mayor banned the event but the Sofia City Administrative Court overturned the ban.
The Mayor then designated a new starting point and a considerably shorter route without blocking vehicle traffic.
Earlier on Friday, the Foreign Ministry firmly opposed the planned holding of the Lukov March in Sofia and called on the responsible institutions to take all legal actions to prevent it. According to the Ministry, such events are incompatible with the values and traditions of Bulgarian society and Bulgaria will not have its territory used as a stage for an international display of extremism, intolerance, discrimination and hatred, the position further says. The Foreign Ministry added that such events are used to cast Bulgaria unjustly in a negative light and to overshadow its human rights achievements.
/DD/
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