Prepared by: Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law (BCNL)
The Sofia Municipality has repeatedly restricted peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with civilians in Gaza, most recently on 30 September, when the mayor ordered Amnesty International Bulgaria to move its protest that was planned near a sports hall hosting a Bulgarian-Israeli basketball game to a location eight kilometres away, undermining its visibility and purpose. The decision referred to vague concerns about public order, even though the State Security Agency did not identify any risk of violence. Earlier, in May 2025, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that mayors’ orders changing protest locations are not subject to judicial review, creating a dangerous precedent that weakens protections for freedom of peaceful assembly. The cases reveal a growing pattern of restrictions against the anti-occupation and Palestine solidarity groups. At least five such protests were banned between October and November 2023. This marks a sharp contrast to earlier years, between January 2020 and April 2023, the mayor refused only 4 out of 2628 protest notifications.
