ＥＵで「最も高い」国旗掲揚に賛否両論　ブルガリア

【ロジェンＡＦＰ＝時事】欧州連合（ＥＵ）の最貧国ブルガリアが、ＥＵ内で最も高いポールに国旗を掲揚し、歓声と嘲笑の両方を浴びている。（写真はブルガリア・ロジェンで、巨大なブルガリア国旗を見上げる人々）
　ブルガリア南部ロドピ山脈にあるロジェン村に掲げられたのは、１１万１０００平方キロの国土を象徴する１１１０平方メートルの巨大な国旗。ポールの高さは１１１メートルで、これまでＥＵ圏内で最高だったフィンランドの１００メートルを超えた。
　■賛否両論
　この牧草地では毎年、伝統的な祭りが開催されており、今年は３日間の行事に先立ち、国旗掲揚ポールの設置を祝う式典が行われた。
　祭りの主催者シメオン・カラコレフ氏（４５）は、親ロシア派のルメン・ラデフ大統領も支持した国旗掲揚ポールのための募金で５０万ユーロ（約７８００万円）を集めた。「これでブルガリア人が裕福になるわけではないが、皆の気分を高揚させてくれる」
　式では掲揚される前の巨大国旗に触ろうと、民族衣装を着た老若男女数千人が集まった。ラデフ大統領はカラコレフ氏と共に「ブルガリア万歳！」と声を上げた。
　だが、国旗掲揚ポールの募金運動はソーシャルメディア上で広く嘲笑され、ポールの上で揺れる大統領を描いたミームも拡散した。
　政治学者のオグニャン・ミンチェフ氏は「旗ざおの高さで国家の誇りを測る指導者たち、ロシアのプロパガンダに支配された疑似国家主義者たち」に愛国心が乗っ取られてしまったと嘆いた。
　手つかずの自然が残る草原に土台のためのコンクリートが打たれ、その許可に不正疑惑も浮上したことで、環境保護団体の抗議に火が付き、計画中止を求める嘆願書には数千人の署名が集まった。
　近隣の町に住むビジネスコンサルタントの女性（３８）は「この棒が森の中にある草原から突き出ているのを見て、気分が悪くなった。自然に対する人間の干渉だ」とＡＦＰに語った。
　日が暮れると、国旗掲揚を待つ人々の歓声の中、無数の携帯電話のライトが夜空を照らした。しかし、いざその瞬間が訪れると風は吹かず、旗は垂れ下がったままだった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/07/19-17:18）

A soaring mast in the mountains of southern Bulgaria has made the EU's poorest country the home of the bloc's highest flagpole, filling some with pride and drawing scorn from others.
Nationalism and populism are on the rise in the Balkan nation, where many remain strongly Russophile despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The immense 1,110-square-metre flag, meant to symbolise Bulgaria's territory of 111,000 square kilometres, was hoisted up the record-breaking 111-metre (364-foot) pole last week in a forest meadow in the Rhodope mountains.
With it Bulgaria takes the flagpole crown from Finland -- which has a 100-metre one -- though it does not nearly touch the heights of some outside Europe which are almost twice as high.
This won't make Bulgarians richer but it will raise people's spirits, said Simeon Karakolev, 45, the organiser of an historic annual folk festival at Rozhen, whose foundation is behind the project.
Karakolev raised 500,000 euros ($560,000) in donations for the pole in a campaign embraced by Bulgaria's pro-Russian President Rumen Radev.
Local media said that a number of public companies were approached on Radev's behalf to donate money for the mast on the mountain meadow where the festival is held.
- Marred by controversy -
The campaign was widely mocked on the social media with one meme depicting the president swinging on the pole going viral, while many said a country wracked with high emigration and a crumbling health system had more urgent concerns than collecting funds for a massive flag mast.
Political scientist Ognyan Minchev lamented how patriotism had been hijacked by leaders who measure national pride by the height of a flag mast... quasi-nationalists dominated by Russian propaganda.
A recent Open Society Foundation study found Bulgaria was among the EU countries most susceptible to Russian propaganda and disinformation.
The concrete poured for the flagpole's foundations on the pristine mountain meadows, and alleged irregularities with its permits, also sparked calls from environmentalists to ban it.
A petition against it collected thousands of signatures.
Karakolev said this was undeserved hate and thanked authorities for not backing down to pressure as checks showed everything is perfectly legal.
Radev slammed dishonourable attempts to denigrate and break this initiative as he and Karakolev inaugurated the structure with shouts of Long live Bulgaria!
Several thousand people of all ages, many in national costumes, gathered for the ceremony ahead of the three-day annual festival, taking the chance to touch the gigantic flag before it went up.
Yes, some people don't like it... (but) there are flags in every country. They are one of the symbols of a nation, said reserve army colonel Dimitar Mitev, 69, adding that he hoped this initiative would boost patriotism.
Others were less positive.
I felt unwell when I saw this rod sticking out of the ground in the middle of the meadows and the surrounding forests. This is human interference in nature, business consultant Sofia Botusharova, 38, from the nearby town of Chepelare told AFP.
Still, thousands of phone screens lit up the night as the cheering crowd waited for the flag to be hoisted. But when the big moment came there was disappointment as the lack of a breeze left it hanging listlessly from the pole.