Report from Sofia
The Global Marijuana March in Sofia, organised on May 14 by the PromenaMovement for Marijuana Legalisation amassed some 1,500 people, who openly
stated they shall not be treated like criminals.
The rally set off at 16:30 a.m. from the Boris gardens under the sound of
drums, tin-whistles and pipes, chanting "Freedom!", "We are not
criminals!", "Legalisation!", "Gandja!", etc. and toured the city center.
Participants at the head of the march carried two posters, with the
words "Freedom" and "Re-legalization" painted on hemp cloth. (Marijuana was
not banned until some 50 years ago, hence the call for re-legalisation.)
All were very enthysiastic, and so were some of the by-standers
in the outdoor cafes along the Sofia streets.
One of the most amusing epizodes occurred on the Patriarch Euthimius
boulevard. Part of the protesters noticed their favourite plant growing
freely in one of the street flower pots and gave it a powerful salute. The
rally stopped for a moment, only to watch how one of the cops supervising the
rally, eradicated the plant and trashed it in the nearest bin.
A boy and a girl, smoking a joint, were immediately circled by the cops, who
were very dissapointed to find out that the teenagers were smoking
peppermint! Yet one participant was later detained for "possessing narcotic
highly hazardous narcotic substance", as the Bulgarian legislation referres
to cannabis.
Back in the Boris gardens the rally proceeded with a rege party.