Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarian ambassador to London opposes renaming of Gladstone Park

Photo: library

In a letter to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Mayor of Brent, Bulgarian Ambassador to the UK Marin Raykov wrote that William Gladstone's support and drawing the attention of British society to atrocities contributed to the restoration of Bulgarian statehood in 1878. The letter came in response to a discussion to rename Gladstone Park in London because family members of Gladstone were slave owners.

Ambassador Raykov points out that he supports the initiative of the municipality of Brent to reconsider the names of sites bearing the names of people directly linked to slavery, but does not understand why this was relevant to William Gladstone, who was British Prime Minister and is also a Bulgarian national hero.

"Our people received his support in one of the most difficult moments in their history," Ambassador Marin Raykov wrote. William Gladstone is one the great political figures who were committed to condemning atrocities and massacres of civilians in Bulgaria after the April Uprising of 1876 against the Ottoman Empire.

According to Raykov, if the decision was made, the local Bulgarian community would be deprived of the few names of places in London it feels connected to. This would make us feel less wanted and represented in London, Raykov also wrote.





Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Research ship "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" departs for Antarctica

Research ship "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" has departed from Varna after a solemn ceremony. In its fourth voyage to Antarctica the ship is expected to reach the Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island by the end of December and..

published on 11/7/25 3:21 PM

Strong security measures for Levski - CSKA derby on Saturday

The Sofia Police announced that they will use drones to monitor fans before and during the football match between Levski and CSKA, which will be held on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the Vasil Levski National Stadium. There will be..

published on 11/7/25 2:34 PM

Before the euro adoption people are pessimistic about the economic present and future

The overall consumer confidence index in October 2025 fell by 4 points compared to July, the National Statistical Institute has reported. In July, the indicator decreased by 4.7 points compared to April. In October, there was an..

published on 11/7/25 1:24 PM