A new edition of the March for Peace was held in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities on Sunday. It was the latest in a series of peace walks in support of a proposed Referendum for Peace and Sovereignty. The questions of the intended referendum, announced a month ago, are about a perceived risk of drawing Bulgaria into a war and an idea to hold referendums on all important matters.
People gathered in front of Sofia's NDK convention centre. Some of them urged passers-by to sign the petition for the Referendum for Peace and Sovereignty. The march was organized by members of the general public supported by the Bulgarian National Council for Peace, the People's Network, Free and Peaceful Bulgaria, and NSS Sveti Georgi Pobedonossets.
Speakers said the protesters' strength lies in their unity. They noted that they are members of citizens' organizations, not political parties. Therefore, they called for party flags to be put away.
The idea of non-partisanship came at odds with reality as the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) joined the demonstrations in a number of cities. BSP Organizational Secretary Borislav Gutsanov was among the demonstrators in the Black Sea city of Varna, and BSP for Bulgaria MP Georgi Svilenski was seen in the crowd in Sofia. Bulgarian Anti-Fascist Union President Evgenii Belii also demonstrated in the capital.
One of the organizers, Nako Stefanov, said in Sofia: "We are here to defend peaceful Bulgaria. We must say that our march is for peace and against war. Not the President, not the government or the National Assembly but the Bulgarian people should say whether they want war or peace."
"Some voices suggested that we should protest in front of foreign missions and embassies. Let us make it clear, we do not want to tell foreign missions and embassies what to do. We want our institutions to defend Bulgaria," Stefanov said.
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