One of the candidates in Bulgaria’s presidential race, Boyan Rasate of the Bulgarian National Union, has been stripped of his immunity after eyewitnesses said he led an attack on an LGBTI community centre in Sofia.

Photos posted by the Rainbow Hub on social media show the devastation wreaked at the centre, where furniture was upended and office equipment, crockery and houseplants tossed on the floor. 

A statement from the centre said that a group of 10 people led by Rasate forced their way in during an event on October 30. Activists recognised the politician, and said he personally hit one female activist in the face and slashed the tyres of a scooter parked outside. 

“This is what our community centre looks like today after a group of 10 men and women led by Boyan Rasate invade and break everything in minutes, hitting one person. Fortunately, there were no others physically injured,” the statement said. 

"We hope the authorities will carefully investigate the case, and Boyan Rasate and those responsible will suffer the consequences for their actions,” it added. 

The Central Election Commission decided on November 1, at the request of Bulgaria’s prosecutor general, to revoke Rasate's immunity. 

“Boyan Rassate is reported to have been among those who attacked the Rainbow Hub Community Centre, destroying property and assaulting at least one person. The decision to revoke Boyan Rassate’s political immunity must be a first step in ensuring that all those behind this vicious attack are investigated and brought to justice,” commented Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Europe, Massimo Moratti. 

“Bulgarian authorities must now take urgent measures to stop politicians and political parties from scapegoating the LGBTI community and make clear that this kind of violence has no place in politics. Crucially, they must amend the law to recognise homophobic and transphobic violence as hate crimes. There is no doubt that the attack on the Rainbow Hub Community Centre was motivated by hatred, and this appalling incident has exposed the shortcomings of Bulgaria’s laws and justice system,” Moratti added. 

On the evening of November 1, demonstrators gathered in Sofia in protest against the attack and to express solidarity with the Rainbow Hub.

Rainbow Hub said the attack took place a few days after a petition of more than 8,000 signatures was collected to support the addition of anti-LGBTI hate crimes in Bulgarian legislation.

Recently, the far-right, nationalist Bulgarian National Union criticised the centre for what it called “gender propaganda” aimed at children, according to reports in the Bulgarian media. However, the post was reportedly deleted after the attack on the centre.

The attack was condemned by mainstream political parties. 

“We condemn the assault on an LGBT office with a girl beaten by some presidential candidate! It is unacceptable to attack people who are different and physically assault them! We condemn all violence and the guilty must face responsibility,” former prime minister and Gerb party leader Boyko Borissov said in a Facebook post.

“We strongly condemn the attack on the Rainbow Hub. Obviously, this is not an isolated or domestic incident, but another stage of an escalating campaign of planned aggression,” wrote the Da Bulgaria party in a statement, calling the attack an “unacceptable use of physical violence for political purposes in an active national campaign”. 

“The media report that it was carried out by an agitator of the Bulgarian National Union and under the personal leadership of Boyan Rasate, founder and candidate of this organisation, which consistently works to infect our political and public life with extremism through the covert use of fascist methods and style,” the statement added.