Global Voices » Ruslan Trad

Bulgaria: President's Gift to Pope Provokes Questions

Ruslan Trad — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:07:01 +0000

On May 24, the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day, the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev visited the Vatican. At a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, President Plevneliev presented a huge Easter egg to him, the work of the Bulgarian sculptor Georgi Andreev.

The egg is made of inox steel and is gold-plated, studded with crystal stones (2,000 ruby-red crystals) in the colors of the rainbow, and consists of 11 sections in the form of diamonds, in the middle of which there is an inscribed cross. The egg is 2.3 meters high and weighs 200 kg - and is also engraved with the letters of the Bulgarian alphabet.

No one in the Bulgarian media wrote about the price of this precious gift. Bulgarian netizens, however, responded to the news with many questions.

On his blog, Bulgarian journalist Ivan Bedrov posted a picture of the Pope and the Bulgarian President standing next to the egg, and commented [bg]:

[…] At first glance, the thing is bigger than the President and the Pope combined. A golden cone? No, a Christmas tree? There was an egg, right? A huge “Fabergé” on the gear of an office chair, with an antenna stuck on top of it. But what is inside, will anyone reveal? […]

In the social media, the gift has become an object of jokes and humor. Here's a small selection:

#Terribly tasteless…

#What does Bulgaria have in common with an egg or Fabergé? What's the message? Maybe that we roost with hens?

#Huge kitsch. Literally.

#Such grandiosity… Looks like the Pope was frightened by the size of the egg.

[…]

#Seriously! Who made it? How much does it cost? Who paid the bill?

[…]

The good news is that the great gift is not paid for with the public funds. The question is what it symbolizes and what exactly Bulgaria is saying to the world with this gift. Because there's no doubt the photo has made an impression around the world. My first association was with Bulgarian weddings where there it is always more impressive to give a huge washing machine as a gift rather than a small picture. In English, this is called “excessive” […]. Such a gift would be a perfect fit for a visit of Georgi Parvanov [Rosen Plevneliev's predecessor at the President's post] to [Turkmenbashi]'s successor […].

Freelance journalist Martin Ivanov wrote this on his blog [bg]:

[…] In the past, the Vatican had tacitly refused to accept an ambassador sent by the [Bulgarian] President. If Plevneliev has decided to do diplomacy through such Kindersurprises, we can only speculate about what he would give to, say, [the German President Joachim Gauck], to [the U.S. President Barack Obama], or to the French President François Hollande. […]

Journalist Ruslan Yordanov commented in his column [bg] in Pogled.info that the “Vatican ‘Fabergé' amidst the [strongest earthquake] in our country is a sign that the president has completely lost.”

On Facebook, people are discussing another photo of the Bulgarian President, the Pope and the Egg:

Miguel Blank: I really do not understand why there is a giant fake Fabergé with letters?

Kockata Slavov:‎ I wonder where they got the money from to buy this “ovule”? From the Bulgarian people, no money for children and pensions - but we have money for such things. I can't stand these politicians……………

On the Facebook page “Kvartala.bg,” there was this criticism [bg] of the President's gift:

None of our business…. but Plevneliev gave the Pope a 200 kg egg, on the eve of May 24. The giant gift has been handcrafted for two years by 15 artists. Eheeee, that means that Plevneliev had planned and prepared his gifts before he became President, for the time when he would became President. How prescient, how profound.

In the comment section of the Dnes.bg's article [bg] about the President's gift, one reader commented:

Hopefully, there will remain some living space for the people in the Vatican after the installation of the egg…

On Twitter, there were reactions, too.

@bang_limited wrote [bg]:

Plevneliev - A Kindersurprise of the Bulgarian diplomacy: President Rosen Plevneliev gives a 200 kg egg […]

@ssstto wrote [bg]:

Plevneliev has given the Pope a giant egg which will hatch Lady Gaga.

@PolinaPaunova wrote [bg]:

Kitsch as national policy. Plevneliev sharp like a school girl….

And a tweet [bg] from HBO Bulgaria:

Is President Plevneliev a fan of Game of Thrones, that he gave the Pope a dragon egg?

Bulgaria: Discussing the “European Idea”

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:41:22 +0000

Young Bulgarians and guests from Italy, with support of the New Bulgarian University and project “Beautiful Europe” [bg] will meet on May 23 to discuss the “European idea” and what Europe means to Bulgarians at an event called “Blue Night” - an evening dedicated to the European idea [bg]. The event comes just one day before one of the brightest Bulgarian holidays - the Day of Slavic writing and culture.

Bulgaria: Calling for National Protest Against Shale Gas Extraction

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:36:19 +0000

Activists in Bulgaria have called for national protests against shale gas extraction on May 22. There is a Facebook event [bg] “National protest against shale gas and changes in Forest Law!”. Tensions are growing after The Greens' activist posted a video [bg] showing a secret meeting between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) representatives and Chevron officials.

Bulgaria: May Bicycle Parade

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:24:04 +0000

On May 19, the 15th annual May Bicycle Parade will gather thousands of supporters of cycling in Sofia with one clear goal - to count the cyclists and show that in Sofia there are more of them than ever. Bulgarian NGO “Bicycle revolution” is organizing the event [bg]. In 2009, more than 3,000 cyclists took part in the Parade.

Bulgaria: “Why Should We Read Books?”

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:27:49 +0000

As many in Bulgaria fear that there are fewer people reading books now than in the past, Ognyan Antov of Anapest offers [bg] three answers to the question “Why should we read books?”: 1. Because thus we absorb the language and its grammar and spelling; 2. This way, we come to know world; 3. Because thereby we feel like one society.

Bulgaria: Interior Minister's Controversial Statement

Ruslan Trad — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:16:10 +0000

Blogger Nikolay Delchev condemned [bg] the reaction of the Bulgarian interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov to the recent student protests against construction at the National Sports Academy's Black Sea training facility: “[…] Interior Minister almost regrets that ‘the whole repressive apparatus that they (the police) have by law has not always been used.' This was said by a minister of a democratically elected government in a European country in the early 21st century. Please leave comments, because I have no words. […]” A video of Tsvetanov's controversial statement is here [bg].

Bulgaria: Human Rights Organizations Against a Neo-Nazi March

Ruslan Trad — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:27:18 +0000

The civic initiative “People Against Racism” is appealing [en] to the Municipality of Sofia and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria with the request to ban an international neo-Nazi racist conference scheduled for Feb. 17 and a neo-Nazi torchlight procession known as the “Lukov March” on Feb. 18. Every year since 2005, Bulgaria's far-right, neo-Nazi, and ultra-nationalist groups have commemorated the death of Gen. Hristo Lukov, who supported Nazi Germany during WWII. Lukov March 2011 drew protests from many civic groups and human rights organizations, including the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the Jewish organization B'nai B'rith, and People Against Racism. (More about Lukov March; a 2010 video.)

Bulgaria: Protests Against Shale Gas Exploration

Ruslan Trad — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:57:50 +0000

On Jan. 14, some 15,000 protesters came out in the streets of at least 12 Bulgarian cities, as well as in London, Paris and Copenhagen, to call for a moratorium on shale gas tests through hydraulic fracturing and to demand a new law that would ban this potentially dangerous practice. Facebook group “We are against a Bulgarian Chernobyl - shale gas exploration” [bg] now has nearly 56,000 members; a photo from the rally in Sofia, posted by one of the group's members, is here. One of the videos from the rally is here.

Bulgaria: 30,000 Protest Against Cuts and Pension Reform

Ruslan Trad — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:30:16 +0000

According to the trade unions, between 25,000 and 30,000 people protested in Sofia on Wednesday against the new pension reform, social cuts and the cancellation of the majority of trains in the country (a photo; videos - here and here). The police sent to contain the rally supported the people's demands by wearing ribbons in the colors of the Bulgarian national flag on their uniforms. MPs from the ruling party tried to talk with the protestors, but were booed. The protests will continue because of the cancelation of talks between the government and the trade unions.

Bulgaria: New Protest Against Shale Gas Planned

Ruslan Trad — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:41:16 +0000

A new protest is being planned for Nov. 26 in Sofia, part of a series of protests against Chevron's shale gas extraction in northeast Bulgaria. On Nov. 20, nearly 500 people attended a rally in the coastal city of Varna, which didn't receive adequate media coverage. Several Facebook groups have been created: Sofia: BULGARIA can count on us - not shale gas! [bg, 740 members], We are against a Bulgarian Chernobyl - shale gas extraction [bg, 30,815 members].

Bulgaria: Protest Against Shale Gas Extraction

Ruslan Trad — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:05:38 +0000

The Nov. 16 protest against Chevron's extraction of shale gas in northeast Bulgaria had been organized through Facebook event. The poster on this photo reads: “Why did you sign, Boyko [PM Borisov's first name] - out of stubbornness?” Protesters chanted slogans against the government, calling them “traitors” because of the signed agreement for extraction of shale gas.

Bulgaria: #OccupyBulgaria on Oct. 15

Ruslan Trad — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:24:02 +0000

Bulgarian activists announced that they would join in the global #Ocuppy action on Oct. 15. There is a Facebook event and a group call for action, real democracy and #OccupyBulgaria. The activists have been inspired by the protests in Greece, the United States and Spain.

Bulgaria: Clashes Between Roma and Ethnic Bulgarians in Katunitsa

Ruslan Trad — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:55:39 +0000

Violent clashes in the Bulgarian village of Katunitsa, near Plovdiv, broke out Friday night, following the death of a 19-year-old ethnic Bulgarian local, Angel Petrov, who had been run over by a vehicle driven by a man linked to the local Roma clan leader.

According to Focus Information Agency:

127 people were arrested in the southern village of Katunitsa where Bulgarian and Roma communities entered into clashes, following a fatal road accident involving relatives of a Roma boss - Kiril Rashkov, dubbed Tsar Kiro. The arrested were indicted for vandalism, arson and numerous other offences.

The clashes involving some 2,000 people started when relatives of a teenager who was run over by a Rashkov family vehicle attacked the Roma patriarch's home. Another person died and five others were injured.

Three policemen and two civilians were hurt in the riots, while a 16-year-old at the scene who suffered from heart problems was taken to hospital, where he later died. […]

Online responses to the riots reflect very well the dangerous tensions on the ground.

On Facebook, there is a page [bg] demanding death to the Roma boss Kiril Rashkov (”An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.)” - and more than 23,000 people appear to “like” this cause.

One of the page members wrote:

We are Bulgarians, we are in Bulgaria - enough of this torment! In our own country we feel as foreigners! They want war? We will give them war!

Another Facebook page [bg] has been created in support of the ethnic Bulgarian rioters arrested in Katunitsa - as of now, 41,001 people have “liked” this page.

Riot police in the village of Katunitsa. Photo by Georgi Kozhuharov/Dnevnik.bg, used with permission.

Hot debates are taking place elsewhere on Facebook as well. On the Anti-Racism Movement in Bulgaria page, people have reported more than ten pages and groups with hate-speech content. One member of the Anti-Racism Movement wrote [bg]:

Racism is awful because of the association of ethnicity with crime. There is a proverb saying “Because of our Elijah, I started to hate Saint Elijah” [”Pokrai nash Iliq namrazih i Sveti Iliq.”] Rashkov (Tzar Kiro) is one of the many criminals and traffickers in Bulgaria and he uses the ethnicity trump card without a second thought. If the authorities take care of this kind of criminals by legal means then this will reduce many times the ethnicity tensions, which are created by the same criminals to affirm their control over the given minority.

One of the places where people are organizing protests against the Roma people is the Facebook fan page [bg] of the football team “Botev” (Plovdiv). One of the fan group's members wrote this [bg]:

The dirty Roma scum must be cleaned!

On the Bulgarian blog Bai Dalai [bg], the author wrote another opinion:

It is easy to see that this is an uprising against the painful social injustices, against the fact that the authorities are protecting the rich criminals but they are unable to provide basic security for the common people.

On Twitter, @lazarov (Alexei Lazarov) wrote [bg]:

Racial clashes in Katunitsa, Putin will run for president again - time sometimes seems to be moving backwards.

Bulgaria: Meeting to Support Palestine's UN Bid

Ruslan Trad — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:39:56 +0000

A silent meeting in support of Palestine's bid for a UN seat and independence took place in Sofia on Sep. 20, organized by the Bulgarian-Palestinian Association for Friendship and Development. There was coverage by Press TV and here are photos from the event on Facebook (Bulgaria to support independent Palestine in UN).

Bulgaria: Ruling Party Uses Children's Holiday Posters in Election Campaign

Ruslan Trad — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:49:45 +0000

Bulgaria's ruling party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) has been using children's holiday posters in the city of Plovdiv in their campaign for the upcoming Oct. 23 presidential election. This poster, posted in the Facebook group of the left-wing Solidarna Bulgaria (Solidarity Bulgaria), shows how the ruling party has been campaigning in violation of the Bulgarian laws, which prohibit the use of propaganda in schools, universities and other public places for children.