British ambassador to Bulgaria Steve Williams has sent a message of goodwill to participants ahead of the forthcoming Sofia gay pride festival on Saturday June 26, the third of its kind in Bulgaria.

"I wish to send a message of support to all those who will be celebrating diversity on that day. Respect for human rights is one of the core democratic values on which the European Union is based. Those human rights apply equally to all people, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, belief,  or sexual orientation.  Many excuses - such as respect for religious doctrine or traditional values - are given to justify homophobia. Let us be clear: in today's European Union there can be no excuse and no justification for homophobia, on any grounds," said ambassador Williams.

The full text of his goodwill message is available on the British embassy's website here.

Ambassador Williams was also one of the first ambassadors to endorse last year's parade. On that occasion he was criticised by Boyan Rasate, leader of the far-right Bulgarian National Union, who told reporters that "he (Williams) has no right to tell Bulgarians how to live in Bulgaria."

Last year, the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Maxim, also called on Sofia authorities to stop the parade and denounced homosexuality as the "fruits of darkness".

Bulgaria's 2008 parade, the first of its kind in Sofia, was marred by violence after more than 60 people, mostly identified as far-right protesters, tried to attack and harass marchers. A demonstrator also threw a Molotov cocktail at the crowd.