Attack (political party)

The National Union Attack (Национален съюз Атака, Nacionalen Sayuz Ataka) is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 25 June 2005, it won 9.0 % of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats. Attack is formed by the National Movement for the Salvation of the Fatherland (Nacionalno Dviženie za Spasenie na Otecestvoto), the Bulgarian National Patriotic Party (Balgarska Nacionalna-Patrioticna Partija) and the Union of Patriotic Forces and Militaries of the Reserve Defense (Sajuz na Patrioticnite Sili i Voinite ot Zapaca Zacšita). Led by TV host Volen Siderov, who is widely considered racist, the party was created just two months before the elections. The party's leaders have criticized Bulgaria's ethnic minorities for being too privileged, and are opposed to NATO, the Iraq War and closer ties with the USA. Although the party is not particularly against Bulgaria's European Union membership, it has strongly demanded a revision of some of the already signed documents, some of which are largely considered to be against the interests of Bulgaria. The sudden and unexpected success of Attack has been attributed as the main cause of the unexpectedly poor performance of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the successor to the old Communist Party. Party members include popular political figures such as Peter Beron, Ognyan Saparev, Rumen Vodenicharov and Stella Bankova as well as a large group of generals and other military men. Amazingly, there are no experts in economics, agriculture and social policy, something which casts a big doubt on Attack's political potential.

Controversy

Ever since the results of the elections have come out, Attack has been severely criticized by most media. It has been called a xenophobic, anti-European and even fascist movement. However, the term 'fascist' is inaccurate. The party's theses do not include the characteristics of fascism as a whole, so calling it nationalist seems enough.

The party's two program documents, the '20 Principles' and the 'Program Scheme' feature a number of antidemocratic characteristics. They define Bulgaria as a one-nation state and assert the supremacy of the state and the 'Bulgarian nation' above ethnic and religious diversity. The '20 Principles' envisage formulating a crime of 'national betrayal' and criminal prosecution of the 'national traitors'. In the past Attack named most of the present-day politicians, human rights and minority rights activists as 'national traitors'. The '20 Principles' envisage also sanctions for defamation of the 'Bulgarian national sacraments' and for 'slurs' against Bulgaria. The 'Program Scheme' proposes to make the Bulgarian Orthodox Church an 'official religion' in Bulgaria, teaching of its doctrine in the primary school and coordination of all important government decisions and draft-laws with the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church. Another question which remains open to debate is whether Attack is a right-wing or left-wing party. There are many ex-communists in the party along with early democracy figures such as Siderov, Beron and Saparev. Attack members themselves have said that the movement is 'neither left, nor right but Bulgarian'. Many analyzers accused Attack of using rather populist methods and speeches, without offering any real solution, thus manipulating the people. All the other parliamentary parties have stated that they will by no means look for coalitions with Attack, since they see it as a threat to Bulgarian ethnic minorities.

Attack has widely been compared to the Nazi party in Germany due to its virulent anti-semitism and the similar way in which the two parties made their way into the parliament. Party members, however, strongly oppose the comparison as they see themselves as 'carriers of a new teaching'. In several publications Siderov, the leader of Attack, suggested that the Jews have been plundering the world by financial speculation since antient times. He accused them of 'the genocide against the Russian, Bulgarian and other Orthodox Christian peoples'. On numerous occasions he criminalized the entire Roma population in Bulgaria and talked about 'gypsy terror against Bulgarians' tolerated by the state.

External link

• Official web site