site.btaEuropean Commission Expects Bulgaria to Take Legal Actions Over Obstruction of Sofia Pride Film Fest Screenings

The European Commission said on Thursday it was not aware of the actions of supporters of the Vazrazhdane party, who prevented the screening of films from the annual cultural programme of Sofia Pride.

"We are not aware of these cases. We can only say that if there were such attacks, we cannot justify them and we would condemn them," a spokesperson for the commission said at a press conference in response to a question. "We expect the state to take appropriate legal action," he added.

On June 10, Vazrazhdane supporters and a group of citizens who attended a planned film screening at Sofia's Odeon Cinema exchanged verbal abuse. The screening organizer decided to cancel the event and returned the money to the ticket buyers.

The film to be screened was Close by Belgian director Lukas Dhont. It has been screened several times in Bulgaria without provoking similar reactions, an open letter written by LGBTI Action (which is among the organizers of Sofia Pride) and published on June 10 says.