With 12 days to go to the second Rainbow Friendship Rally in Sofia on June 27 2009, Steve Williams, British ambassador in Sofia, sent out a statement, unequivocally supporting the event.

The first Gay Pride parade was held in June 2008 and was marred by counter-protests organised by ultra-nationalists Bulgarian National Alliance (BNA).

At the time, BNA called for a "week of intolerance" under the motto `Be intolerant, be normal'.

As The Sofia Echo reported, close to 150 people found the courage to march on the streets with balloons, carrying symbolic rainbow-like flags. BNU leader Boyan Rassate, along with 80 others were arrested.

In his statement, Williams said; "I, as British Ambassador in Sofia,  would like to extend a message of support to all those who will be celebrating diversity on that day."

Williams emphasised that, although members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community are subject to discrimination worldwide, discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity were "incompatible with the basic principles and values on which the EU is founded."

"We are and will remain committed to the prevention and eradication of discrimination based on the six grounds mentioned in Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which include sexual orientation," Williams said.

According to him, "guaranteeing human rights of LGBT persons requires an active, consistent, determined policy of the authorities, both at the level of central government and at the level of local government, as well as by other state institutions."

In late May, gay-rights organisation International Queer Solidarity Network (IQSN) issued a statement, accusing Bulgarian politicians, including ultra-nationalists Ataka and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev of intolerance, saying that Ataka had openly called for "men to beat up gays," and Stanishev was said to have expressed his dislike of "manifestation and demonstration of such orientations".

In his statement, Williams expressed his "wholehearted support to all those who - whether as individuals, working for government organisations or for non-governmental organisations – are working to ensure that all of us can fully enjoy our human rights, without distinction of any kind, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Celebrating diversity is not about promoting a lifestyle: it is about promoting respect for fundamental human rights. It is about the very essence of our European democratic values."