Sofia Pride

With a moving stage and a sea of rainbow flags, the pro-LGBTI Sofia Pride event due on Saturday is to draw attention of discrimination in Bulgarian schools.

The Soviet Army monument in downtown Sofia, near Orlov Most, is where the rally will begin at 18:00 local time (EEST), but people are invited to gather an hour earlier.

This year's edition of Sofia Pride that is due to be held on June 27 will focus its attention to the issue of discrimination in the field of education.

The statement was made by Radoslav Stoyanov, one of the organizers of the parade on behalf of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, as reported by the Bulgarian National Radio.

The nationalist party Ataka condemned the planned for Saturday Sofia Pride 2014 parade, reports Dnes.bg. 

The nationalists claimed that the event was suggested by “outside forces” and it was a “foreign to our national traditions and morale deformity, called gay parade in Bulgaria”. 

Diplomats encourage people and institutions in Bulgaria to stand up for and support open-mindedness and tolerance towards the LGBTI people. 

On 3 July, Ambassadors of a series of Sofia-based embassies issued a statement of support for Sofia Pride. The statement, published on the website of the British embassy in Sofia, reads: