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B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith strongly condemns the annual neo-Nazi “Lukov March” that will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria on Feb. 17. The rally has been held each year since 2003 to glorify Nazi ally General Hristo Lukov, who participated in the repression of Bulgarian Jewry before and during World War II; and was the leader of the Union of Bulgarian National Legions. Organized by the far-right Bulgarian National Union, the march is aimed at spreading xenophobia and intolerance in Bulgaria.
 
For the past two years the march was technically banned, however it was allowed to continue nonetheless without police intervention. The rally brings together neo-Nazis and other extremists united in hatred. Such blatant public displays of anti-Semitism and xenophobia must not be ignored.
 
In an era of rising anti-Semitism and Holocaust distortion, B’nai B’rith condemns in the strongest terms all such expressions of bigotry. We call on Bulgarian authorities to denounce the Lukov March as a demonstration of the ideology of hatred and historical revisionism. We further implore Bulgarian political and civil society leaders to intensify their efforts to counter the Lukov March organizers and other extremists who continue to defy the rule of law.