An angry mob attacked the main entrance of the Ivan Vazov National Theater in Sofia on Thursday (7 November), where US actor and director John Malkovich was premiering Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw, claiming the play insulted Bulgarian identity.
Video footage shared on X shows masked protesters dressed in black assaulting and beating actors and spectators, preventing the audience from entering the theater hall and disrupting the premiere of the play, which they found offensive.
Among the participants in the protest were the former Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki (VMRO, ECR) and the leader of the pro-Russian party Ataka Volen Siderov. Two lawmakers from the pro-Russian Revival party, Tsoncho Ganev and Kosta Stoyanov, were also present in the crowd.
“These ‘people’ wanted to enter the theater, to cause chaos. In seconds, at the command of the Spitz-Führer, we were surrounded by neo-Nazis who started hitting us. A policeman scolded me for having provoked them,” said Bulgarian director and Oscar-winning artist Theo Ushev.
Ushev, who held a ticket for the performance, was ultimately barred from entry and beaten.
“We tried to get away, but the whole frenzied mob rushed at us. We were kicked, insulted, spat on, doused with various liquids, and hit with flag handles,” Ushev added, demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov, who claimed there was no chaos nor casualties during the protests.
Ilkov, on his part, did not answer the question of why the police did not secure the entrance to the theatre so that the spectators could attend the theatre performance.
The European Theater Convention supported the Ivan Vazov National Theater, stating that the Bulgarian theatre faced threats to its creative freedom.
Hurt feelings
The far-right protestors, who demanded the play’s cancellation, claimed it demeaned Bulgaria.
The play’s action takes place 139 years ago during the Serbo-Bulgarian war, after which the young Bulgarian state managed to hold on to victory and asserted its independence.
Shaw describes with a sense of humour the nascent Bulgarian bourgeoisie, which tries to quickly get rid of the oriental habits of the Ottoman Empire and copy fashion trends in Western Europe. But he also writes about the successes of the young Bulgarian army against Serbia’s attempt to occupy western Bulgaria.
“I protest against this production because it is ugly and offensive and portrays us as some kind of barbarians. Today, in Europe, it is very important not to offend anyone. I would never go to protest against a production that is just art,” commented Dzhambazki.
In response, the theater’s director, Vassil Vassilev, countered Dzhambazki, calling the protest “censorship and open fascism.” Although Shaw’s play has been staged in Bulgaria for years, Malkovich’s involvement appears to have intensified nationalist opposition.
“I cannot do anything but be amused by the statement that I would come here to stage a play to make fun of Bulgaria. This is not a very intelligent idea,” said Malkovich at a press conference at the National Theater on Wednesday.
Vassilev tried to talk to the protesters and offered them to see the theatre performance first and assess whether there was really anything offensive in it, but they started pushing him and spitting, and the police had to save him.
Firm condemnations
The performance eventually opened 50 minutes late, but only in front of a handful of theatre critics and journalists – the rest of the ticketed audience remained outside, blocked by the protesting nationalists.
“For us, the attack on the Ivan Vazov National Theater is not a spontaneous protest, but an active event organised by people close to the former state security [the repressive service of the totalitarian regime until 1989],” declared the pro-European party We Continue the Change (Renew Europe) in its reaction to the event.
“We want to live and leave it to the children as a free and democratic country,” the reaction further reads.
“We strongly condemn all forms of censorship of freedom of speech and art and attempts to prevent the audience from entering the theater,” announced the largest Bulgarian party GERB (EPP).
We give you energy news and help invest in energy projects too, click here to learn more
Crude Oil, LNG, Jet Fuel price quote
ENB Top News ENBEnergy DashboardENB PodcastENB Substack
Energy News Beat