The Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov announced Thursday he had decided to change the location of the gay parade, which is scheduled to take place in Sofia on Saturday, June 28.

Borisov has been asked by a number of city councilors from his own GERB party to change the route of the procession in order to ensure the security of the homosexuals and the other participants in the event.

Thus, instead of starting at the National Palace of Culture and proceeding down the central Vitosha Blvd, the gay parade is going to take place in Sofia's Southern Park.

"For their own security I have designated the southern part of the Southern Park as the location of their parade because it is easier to protect them there. If they parade on Vitosha Blvd, they could be attacked by people springing out of any side street", Borisov explained with respect to his new order.

The Sofia Mayor also announced his firm intention to destroy the illegal Roma ghetto in the Vuzrazhdane Quarter known as Batalova Mahala. He made it clear this move would be made in order to fulfill a court ruling made two years ago to remove the squatters, and said the illegal Roma settlers had to find homes on their own.

"There is a court ruling and a decision of the City Council, and we will execute it. We are expecting protests but we are obliged to carry it out. With all due respect to everyone, I cannot turn Sofia into an asylum place for all poor from all over Bulgaria, who have nowhere to live, and nothing to eat, and so they come here so that we have to find them homes", the Mayor explained.

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