ECRI Report, (fifth monitoring cycle). Published on 16 September 2014
Country
Bulgaria
Year
Type of publication
Geographical coverage
National
Area/location of interest
Type of Institution
Council of Europe body
Institution
Main Thematic Focus
Racism & xenophobia Discrimination
Target Population
Muslims Migrants Ethnic minorities People with migrant background Refugees & asylum seekers
Key findings
The situation throughout Bulgaria became extremely tense in the final months of 2013 with an explosion of xenophobic hate speech against refugees from Syria.
The Chief Mufti’s Office has documented incidents of harassment and violence against the Muslim community, including threats against Muslim women with headscarves, setting dogs on them, spitting on them, throwing liquids on them; painting the walls of religious schools and mosques with the slogans Death to the Turks and Bulgaria for the Bulgarians; desecrating and setting fire to mosques; damage to mosque property; and physical attacks on imams and mosque guards. The Jewish community has reported an increased number of antisemitic incidents.
Racist violence has escalated since last ECRI report (2009).
There has been a pronounced increase in incitement to Islamophobia. The authorities rarely voice any counter-Hate speech message to the public. Few cases of hate speech have reached court and the conviction rate is low.
Methodology (Qualitative/Quantitative and exact type used, questionnaires etc)
The working methods for the preparation of the reports involve documentary analyses, a visit to the country concerned, and then a confidential dialogue with the national authorities.
Sample details and representativeness
ECRI’s reports are analyses based on a great deal of information gathered from a wide variety of sources.