Pro-Russian, left parties fuel anti-semitic violence following Hamas attack

The extreme left and pro-Russian parties are fuelling an anti-Semetic rhetoric in Bulgaria, particularly since the attack by the terrorist group Hamas against Israel on 7 October, the organisation of the Jews in Bulgaria Shalom and B’nai B’rith told Euractiv Bulgaria.

Jewish organisations reported a significant increase in aggression and hate speech against Jews in social networks, which come from the left and far-left sectors and much less often from the far-right, where anti-Semitic symbols and rhetoric are usually found.

“Since October 7, there has been an explosion of left-wing anti-Semitism, in which anti-Zionism and anti-imperialism are layered, mixed with hatred for Western Europe. Memes, videos and propaganda flood social media, and much of it comes from pro-Russian sources,” B’nai B’rith Vice President for Europe Solomon Bali told Euractiv.

About 1,162 people identify as Jews in Bulgaria, according to data from the last census in 2021.

Antisemitism is preached by pro-Russian circles

The observations of the executive director of the Jewish organisation Shalom Maxim Delchev also show that “overt anti-Semitism comes from left and far-left groups and related social media profiles that vehemently support Russia in the war in Ukraine.”

“They express support for Hamas and Palestine, which goes beyond what is permissible,” Delchev told Euractiv, adding that there are far fewer such manifestations from the extreme right.

In July, Shalom reported to the prosecutor’s office because of a collage with the former foreign minister Solomon Passy, distributed on the official Telegram channel of Vazrazhdane. Passi is depicted in striped prison clothes, forcibly led by soldiers in Nazi uniforms. The inscription on the collage reads: “If you don’t want Russian gas, come and let us supply you with ours”.

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office gave a detailed report on the initiated cases and investigations for preaching fascist ideology, mainly referring to cases of swastikas painted on the facades of buildings but also reports against the leader of the pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane Kostadin Kostadinov. However, in recent years none of the cases resulted in court proceedings.

(Emiliya Milcheva, Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)