A soaring mast in the mountains of southern Bulgaria has made the EU’s poorest country the home of the bloc’s highest flagpole, filling some with pride and drawing scorn from others. | AFP
“This won’t make Bulgarians richer but it will raise people’s spirits,” said Simeon Karakolev, 45, the organizer of an historic annual folk festival at Rozhen, whose foundation is behind the project.
Local media said that a number of public companies were approached on Radev’s behalf to donate money for the mast on the mountain meadow where the festival is held.The campaign was widely mocked on the social media with one meme depicting the president swinging on the pole going viral, while many said a country wracked with high emigration and a crumbling health system had more urgent concerns than collecting funds for a massive flag mast.
A recent Open Society Foundation study found Bulgaria was among the EU countries most susceptible to Russian propaganda and disinformation. Radev slammed “dishonorable attempts to denigrate and break this initiative” as he and Karakolev inaugurated the structure with shouts of “Long live Bulgaria!”
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