Bulgarian nationalists campaigning against Turkish broadcasts
Skat TV cable television channel, run by Bulgaria`s
ultra-nationalist Attack party, has launched a campaign to end the
broadcasts of Turkish-language programs on Bulgarian National
Television, or BNT, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The party, which demands halting the broadcasts of daily 15-minute news programs, has begun a petition drive in the centers of major Bulgarian cities. The broadcasts have been ongoing for the past eight years.
Nencho Nenov, one of the active supporters of the campaign who calls himself "an investigative journalist", claimed that the idea to impose a ban on broadcasts in Turkish had been requested by Skat TV viewers.
"Our viewers don`t want Turkish broadcasts on state television," Nenov maintained. The signatures on petitions will be submitted to parliament in September.
Nenov said more than 40,000 signatures had been collected across Bulgaria. Most of the signatories are above middle age and some 2,200 people have signed the petition in Sofia. "There are no Turks in Bulgaria, there are Muslims. Those who see themselves as "Turkish" are only hurting themselves," Nenov claimed.
The campaign leader believes the Turkish-language broadcasts on BNT cause discrimination in society. "The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian and it is the language that every Bulgarian citizen needs to speak," he said.
Nenov said they planned to hold another campaign after that, demanding that the Turkish national television, TRT, carry broadcasts in the Bulgarian language. He added that there has been a demand from Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey for Bulgarian broadcasts on TRT.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said the parliament should add to its agenda the demand by Attack to prohibit Turkish-language newscasts. Attack was the only party in the Bulgarian parliament to unconditionally support Borisov.
The party, which demands halting the broadcasts of daily 15-minute news programs, has begun a petition drive in the centers of major Bulgarian cities. The broadcasts have been ongoing for the past eight years.
Nencho Nenov, one of the active supporters of the campaign who calls himself "an investigative journalist", claimed that the idea to impose a ban on broadcasts in Turkish had been requested by Skat TV viewers.
"Our viewers don`t want Turkish broadcasts on state television," Nenov maintained. The signatures on petitions will be submitted to parliament in September.
Nenov said more than 40,000 signatures had been collected across Bulgaria. Most of the signatories are above middle age and some 2,200 people have signed the petition in Sofia. "There are no Turks in Bulgaria, there are Muslims. Those who see themselves as "Turkish" are only hurting themselves," Nenov claimed.
The campaign leader believes the Turkish-language broadcasts on BNT cause discrimination in society. "The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian and it is the language that every Bulgarian citizen needs to speak," he said.
Nenov said they planned to hold another campaign after that, demanding that the Turkish national television, TRT, carry broadcasts in the Bulgarian language. He added that there has been a demand from Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey for Bulgarian broadcasts on TRT.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said the parliament should add to its agenda the demand by Attack to prohibit Turkish-language newscasts. Attack was the only party in the Bulgarian parliament to unconditionally support Borisov.
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