Earlier we informed you that the Academic Council of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” came out with a position against Prof. Darina Grigorova, differentiating herself from her theses and positions expressed in an interview. Prof. Grigorova wrote a message on her personal Facebook profile, in which she thanked everyone who supported her and showed sympathy for “freedom of speech”.
Prof. Grigorova is the author of several books, including “Freedom and Autonomy. Russian Liberalism at the End of the 19th Century” and “The Phoenix Empire”, as well as numerous scientific studies and articles.
This is the position expressed by Sofia University:
“On the occasion of the numerous protest letters received against the theses and ideas launched in Darina Grigorova’s interview, the Academic Council of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” states that he categorically differs from the position expressed by her. We believe that materials with similar content further inflame the existing public tension in the country and serve the interests of propaganda related to the war in Ukraine. The position expressed by Darina Grigorova in the interview is her personal opinion, which has nothing to do with the spirit of Sofia University as a center of humanity, reason and academicism. We find such behavior on the part of a university professor to be unacceptable, especially since the interview openly propagates political ideas that directly affect current public life in Bulgaria and damage the authority and prestige of the oldest higher education institution in the country,” reads the position of the Academic Council of Sofia University.
Publications appeared on the Internet with the slogan “I am Prof. Darina Grigorova”, defending freedom of speech.
Here is what Prof. Grigorova wrote:
“I cannot personally thank each of you, friends! Thank you for your heartfelt empathy for the precious freedom of speech for any voice/position, whether close to yours or not. Thank you for the response – a chorus of bells, friendly voices -marks to bring out of the fog But, so that it is not just a lyric, victory will be for us, “fear not, friends!”
Your Darina”
The main topics that Prof. Grigorova commented on in the interview in question are the dismantling of the Monument to the Soviet Army and the war in Ukraine.
She defines what is happening to the monument as a vandalistic and un-Bulgarian act and calls it “cutting in the most butchery way, not dismantling”. Grigorova believes that “the purely psychological effect of the bacchanalia with the destruction of the Monument to the Soviet Army aims to create in Russia justified Bulgarian phobia”.
According to her, not all Ukrainians are infected by Russophobia. “It seems to me that the Third Ukrainian Front is not only a part of the Second World War. Do you know how many Ukrainians and Little Russians are on the side of Russia and how gladly they would be on the side of Russia if something happened, bigger conflict,” she says.
In the interview, she calls Zelensky impure while commenting on Arestović’s political career.
“Everything is strange, everything is patriotic. No, part of the intelligentsia is not satisfied,” she says.
Prof. Grigorova’s statement, which caused the most comments, is that the denazification of Ukraine is a matter of time, and then the denazification of Bulgaria may follow.
2023-12-23 18:47:47
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