BULGARIA: Sofia Pride Canceled Due To Fears Of Anti-Gay Violence

Tomorrow's gay pride event in Sofia, Bulgaria has been canceled due to fears of anti-gay violence.  Gay Star News reports:

Organizers of Sofia Pride that was scheduled for tomorrow (22 June) say the event has been canceled due to the insistence of city’s municipality and the Interior Ministry. Since peaceful protests against the appointment of a controversial media mogul as national security head began last week, extremist groups have staged counter-rallies, attempting to provoke protesters for freedom of speech and have clashed with them. Local authorities expressed their concern that these extremists groups may violently attack the Sofia Pride parade. Sofia Pride organizer Mihail Vuchkov has told local media that the event is likely to take place early in autumn, but did not specify a date.

Last year a priest in the Orthodox Church issued a call for followers to "throw stones" at pride participants.  At the first Sofia Pride event in 2008, skinheads attacked parade attendees with Molotov cocktails.

BULGARIA: Jammed Gun Foils Would-Be Assassination Of Political Leader

Reuters reports:

A man jumped on stage and pointed a gun at the leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party before security guards wrestled him to the ground during a televised conference on Saturday. Ahmed Dogan, the long-time leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) escaped unscathed, and it was not immediately clear why the attacker had targeted him at the party congress in downtown Sofia. Television footage showed the man jumping out of the audience and interrupting a speech by 58-year-old Dogan, who has led the party for almost a quarter of a century. Security guards were seen beating and kicking the attacker. "Ahmed Dogan is in good health. Everything is under control," MRF official Ceyhan Ibryamov told journalists.

Some reports say the gun was a "gas pistol" which is not considered lethal is most situations. But it probably could be at point-blank range.