Business, finances, forex

Key to the success of small businesses across the country is finding the right suppliers. And the Business-to-Small-Business marketplace (B2SMB) is essential in finding the best suppliers.

The 2019 BEST2 SMB AWARDS will recognize the best brand to small businesses with the products, services and innovation the provide.

With a market value of $500 billion, the B2SMB supports 30+ million small business who buy products and services in the U.S.

The yearly award is organized by the B2SMB Institute, which looks to bring together the highly fragmented B2SMB marketplace.

The mission of the organization is to ensure the growth of B2SMB professionals so they can succeed by winning, keeping and growing small business customers.

The B2SMB Institute’s Influencers’ Circle will choose the winners. The influencers are an independent council of journalists, bloggers, thought leaders and authors.

Anita Campbell, CEO and Founder of Small Business Trends, is one of the judges who will be choosing the winners.

The awards luncheon will showcase the winners on October 3, 2019, at the B2SMB Institute’s Global Conference in Chicago.

The deadline for all submissions is 5 pm EDT, September 4, 2019.

You can enter for free, so click the red button to get the submission guide.

Submission Guide

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Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Best SMB Awards
September 04, 2019, Online

Does your product or service stand-out in the crowded marketplace for Small Business? The B2SMB Institute invites any enterprise that markets, sells and delivers products and/or services to Small Businesses to submit their entry for the 2019 Best2SMB Awards. We’ll be awarding excellence and achievement in three categories: Best2SMB Product or Service Offering, Best2SMB Innovation, Best2SMB Brand of the Year. We will also be awarding our first-ever Best2SMB Hall of Fame recipient.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (San Francisco, CA)
October 15, 2019, San Francisco, Calif.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Listening to the Voice of the Customer
October 16, 2019, Chicago, Ill.

Led by veteran product development and market research experts, this course will introduce Voice of the Customer (VOC) market research and teach you to use it to accelerate innovation in business-to-business markets. The workshop uses a lively, interactive format with numerous hands-on activities and practice exercises to build skills and will also expose you to the latest applications of these techniques in areas such as machine learning and journey mapping.
Discount Code
SMALLBIZ ($100 Off)

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Irvine, CA)
October 17, 2019, Irvine, Calif.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (San Diego, CA)
October 18, 2019, Online

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Miami, FL)
October 22, 2019, Miami, Fla.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Boston, MA)
October 24, 2019, Online

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (New York, NY)
October 25, 2019, New York, N.Y.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Seattle, WA)
November 12, 2019, Online

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Denver, CO)
November 14, 2019, Denver, Colo.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Chicago, IL)
November 15, 2019, Chicago, Ill.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Atlanta, GA)
November 19, 2019, Atlanta, Ga.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Small Biz: Banking Conference
November 19, 2019, Los Angeles, Calif.

The small biz: banking conference delivers access to thought leadership, best practices and leading solution providers. Discover how industry leaders attract and retain small business deposits, fee-based services, and loans, and much more.
Discount Code
BIZTRENDS ($200)

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Dallas, TX)
November 21, 2019, Dallas, Texas

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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Free seminar: Learn how to optimize your business (Phoenix, AZ)
November 22, 2019, Phoenix, Ariz.

Join us to learn how one complete view of your business, with apps that effortlessly integrate, can enhance your productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and help you effectively collaborate with staff, partners, and investors. Our free educational seminar will cover basics of the Zoho One platform, plus tips, tricks, and best practices to help optimize your business.

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More Events

• DigiMarCon Europe 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
  September 12, 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Launching a Business – Application Deadline
  September 13, 2019, Oakland, Calif.
• DigiMarCon Asia Pacific 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
  September 18, 2019, Singapore
• World’s Largest MBA Tour is Coming to Philadelphia – Register for FREE
  September 30, 2019, Philadelphia, Pa.
• DigiMarCon Singapore 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
  October 02, 2019, Singapore, Singapore
• World’s Largest MBA Tour is Coming to Miami – Register for FREE
  October 16, 2019, Miami, Fla.
• World’s Largest MBA Tour is Coming to Austin – Register for FREE
  October 21, 2019, Austin, Texas
• TECHSPO Dubai 2019
  October 22, 2019, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Rhodium Weekend
  October 24, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev.
• World’s Largest MBA Tour is Coming to Denver – Register for FREE
  October 28, 2019, Denver, Colo.
• Small Business Expo 2019 – LOS ANGELES (October 30, 2019)
  October 30, 2019, Los Angeles, Calif.
• IMPACT>MOBILITY USA 2019
  November 04, 2019, San Diego, Calif.
• HR World 2019
  November 14, 2019, Nashville, Tenn.
• 4th Annual Blockchain Opportunity Summit 2019
  December 10, 2019, New York, N.Y.
• Pitch Deck Summit
  December 11, 2019, Austin, Texas
• National Small Business Week
  May 03, 2020, Online

More Contests

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.

You can see a full list of events, contest and award listings or post your own events by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Get Attention for Your Business-to-SMB Product or Service, Read More” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Is your business stuck in neutral? If you want to take things to the next level, you might need to access new tools and resources. Things like video marketing, expert insights and even memes can help you break out of a rut and help you grow effectively. Here are tips from members of the online small business community for utilizing these strategies.

Boost Your Traffic With Video Marketing

Video can be a powerful medium for getting a message across to your potential customers. But it can also help you drive traffic to your website and other online content. Learn more about this process and how to make the most of it for your business in this Search Engine Watch post by Nat McNeely.

Learn How to Use Memes for Your Marketing Message

If you’ve spent any time online over the past several years, then you’re probably familiar with memes. But what you might not know is that they can actually help your marketing efforts. Julia Enthoven dives into the concept and offers some helpful tips in this Social Media Examiner post.

Stand Out from the Competition on Social Media

Your business probably already uses some social media platforms for promotion and communication. But chances are, your competitors use them too. If you want your business to stand out, read the tips in this post by Moss Clement of Moss Media. Then see what BizSugar members are saying about the post here.

Survive SEO Algorithm Changes

SEO can be one of the most effective online marketing tactics for any business. But constant algorithm updates can change things in an instant. If you want to survive those upgrades, you might want to follow instructions that come right from the source — Google. Neil Patel explores Google’s advice in this blog post.

Use Squeeze Pages to Generate Leads

Are you dissatisfied with how your website is performing in terms of lead generation? You might be better off driving new potential customers to a squeeze page instead of your basic home page. Michal Leszczynski examines the concept and offers tips for using squeeze pages in this GetResponse post.

Boost Your Business with Marketing Podcasts

If you’re looking for new ways to improve your company’s marketing strategy, you might be able to find some unique tips and insights from podcasts. In this TopRank Marketing post, Lane Ellis lists ten options for marketers to add to their regular rotation.

Address the Cyber Skills Education Gap

If you have a small team working for your small business, you might notice a difference in skills when it comes to using various tech tools. Instead of only seeking out people who already have specific, in-demand skills, you can use education to close that gap. David Wagner elaborates in this post on the SMB CEO blog.

Learn from Other Google My Business Listings

Google My Business can be a very effective way for local companies to reach new customers. If you want to make the most of it, you could try learning from what others are doing. In this Bright Local post and video, Kristian Bannister details findings from a recent study and explains what they mean for other companies.

Get Motivated by Expert Entrepreneurs

Motivation is essential for running any successful venture. If you’re feeling a bit unmotivated, it can help to turn to the experts. Carol Roth shares motivation from more than 150 entrepreneurs in this post. And BizSugar members weighed in with thoughts here.

Save Money for Your Business

No matter what types of marketing or growth strategies you want to try for your business, you probably need some kind of funding. If you’re not able to access extra capital, you need to find ways to save money on your regular operations. Check out this Daily Bits post by Fleur Hamilton for tips.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “10 Unique Strategies and Expert Tips for Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Your brand is just as important as your product to overall business success. The 2019 B2B Trusted Brands Report from Sagefrog lists the ones who are the most trusted. Small Business Trends contacted Mark Schmukler, CEO & Co-founder to find out the names and what small businesses need to look for in the B2B companies they work with.

Sagefrog 2019 B2B Trusted Brands Report

FedEx

This was the company that took the number one spot. Good news for SMBs that are shipping goods and or services and need a courier to rely on.  One of the filters that helped FedEx take the number one ranking was trust.

It’s a great metric for SMBs looking to make the right B2B choice. The right decision is about more than name recognition.

“Customers trust the top-scoring B2B brands because they take a personal approach to content,” Schmukler writes. “They demonstrate shared values with customers, and stay current with marketing tactics.”

Good advice for your own marketing efforts. And when narrowing down B2B choices like suppliers.

Apple

If you’re an ecommerce or omnichannel company, you’re no stranger to the technology this mainstay offers. Another important lesson from the report is awareness doesn’t equal trust. For small business, that means you shouldn’t sign on with the most recognizable brand. It’s important to look for those little extras like the abovementioned personal approach to content.

Schmukler underscores this aspect.

“This was one of the biggest takeaways from this year’s report. Personalized content that connects with customers on what they care about will always be one of the keys to building trust.”

American Express, UPS and Amazon took the next three positions. Trust is becoming the biggest deciding factor as the fields get more crowded in the B2B sector.

“B2B trust is important now more than ever. Because customers are constantly seeing and hearing messages from B2B companies vying for their attention. They know who the companies are, so the question becomes: who do they trust?”

For the small business, this is also about aligning yourself with authentic businesses. This is a big deal especially when you work online.

Other Important Points

The report also highlighted some other important points. People were making B2B decisions based on referrals. Customers needed to hear good things about any company they wanted to do business with. Johnson & Johnson, Google and LinkedIn were in the six, seven and eighth positions.

That translates into some advice for small businesses.

“Small businesses should look for positive reviews and companies that have long-standing contracts with similar companies to their own.”

Other Takeaways for SMBs

There were some other takeaways for small businesses. Even in the big pond of social media, some companies were able to stand out. Case in point was LinkedIn. They were able to bump up their brand trust by “establishing a strong professional reputation,” according to Schmukler.

They showed how it was possible to break away from the competition in your industry by working the pr angle.

In fact, LinkedIn being listed in the top 10 brands was a surprise. It’s a big deal. Consider other companies in the same space like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook had trust factor scores 30 points lower.

The features that set LinkedIn apart included sponsored InMail and their general professional appearance.

The industry your business is in has a relationship to how trusted you are too. The report found high scores in the shipping industry for companies like UPS and FedEx. Communication businesses like Verizon and AT&T scored in the middle. Financial institutions like Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo were lower on the trust ranking.

Something else to think about if you’re planning a small business start up.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Most Trusted B2B Brands in 2019” was first published on Small Business Trends

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A 20-year-old man managed to stop a tram on Graf Ignatiev Street in Sofia after seeing that the vehicle was not driven by anyone and was moving by inertia, bTV reported.

As Manuel Georgiev waits for the tram # 12 stop, he notices that it is starting to move backward. He also sees that the driver is gone. Then he realizes that he must act quickly. So he runs and manages to jump inside.

“I tried one of the two pedals and pressed it completely. It turned out to be the brake and the tram stopped,” the young man told the television.

There were about a dozen people in the vehicle who were scared.

“I don’t feel like a hero. I did what I needed to do,” said Manuel Georgiev.

 The head of the Banishora tram depot Plamen Petrov said that the driver explained that she was sick. She assumed that her blood sugar was low and so went down to buy some food and drink.

 ”It is a human error. Our assumption is that the tram was not brought into all the driver’s parking and leaving systems. The vehicle was checked before leaving the depot and everything was fine,” Plamen Petrov explained.

In his words, the drivers often have to get out to eliminate the damage or change the tram arrows when needed.

There are well-established rules and requirements for how to leave the vehicle. However, there is no established rule for going out and buying food.

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The man searched by divers searching the sea near the unguarded Lippi beach in Sinemorets was discovered. A drowned man and a young boy were found in the same area today. This was announced by the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior-Burgas.

The searched man managed to get out of the rough sea to a nearby beach. Earlier, he and a friend had entered the water to rescue two drowning boys. They took out one boy. Going for the second, however, both men are drawn by the sea current. One man was found drowned at about 13.30 hours. Half an hour later, the boy’s body was found. The 43-year-old father and his 16-year-old son drowned. They are from Razgrad.

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For the third time in his career, Grigor Dimitrov qualified for the semifinals of the last US Grand Slam tournament. On Friday, the Bulgarian beat the Polish qualifier Kamil Majchrzak with 3-0 sets after almost 140 minutes on the court.

He has reached this stage of the tournament in 2014 and 2016, and even as a teenager he even won this race.

In contention for her first qualifying 1/4-finals in New York, Bulgaria’s best tennis player will face another player not in the main circuit, the young Australian Alex de Minor.

He eliminated seventh in the Kai Nishikori scheme.

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Moody’s Investors Service raised the outlook for Bulgaria’s credit rating to positive from stable and affirmed the country’s long-term foreign and local currency Baa2 rating. This was announced by the finance ministry.

The positive change reflects a strong fiscal stance and favorable prospects for economic growth. Maintaining Baa2’s credit rating recognizes the balance between positive fiscal and macroeconomic development and the declared readiness to join the euro area and the country’s current challenges stemming from negative demographic trends and the presence of weaknesses in some policy areas.

The Agency focuses on improving financial performance and pursuing consistent and prudent policies. In recent years, Bulgaria has been characterized by increasing budget surpluses, a steady decline in government debt, an improvement in creditworthiness, a significant fiscal reserve and a positive impact of pension reform on fiscal sustainability. Moody’s expects the budget balance to remain in surplus (0.8% of GDP) in 2020, while government debt will continue to decline and reach 19% of GDP.

According to Moody’s, the stable prospects for growth in Bulgaria are conditioned by the continued integration into the EU and increased competitiveness. Since 2015, the economy has grown over 3% annually and the Agency expects positive developments to continue in the coming years, with the economy growing around potential. Economic growth will also be supported by some important infrastructure projects, such as the Hemus and Struma highways, the Sofia-Plovdiv railway line and the higher absorption of EU funds. Increased competitiveness is underpinned by rising export shares and current account surpluses, reflecting structural improvements in the post-crisis economy.

Moody’s expects the simultaneous accession to VM II and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) to contribute to sound macroeconomic policies and further strengthen the institutions. The Accession Action Plan for VM II and SSM is also expected, as well as efforts to deepen Bulgaria’s cooperation with the OECD to encourage the adoption of further reforms to improve efficiency in corporate governance, budgetary planning, and public administration.

The rating can be raised while maintaining positive economic and fiscal development. Further progress in the government’s reform agenda (education, healthcare, state-owned enterprises), as well as euro area accession and SSM membership, would also have a positive impact on the rating.

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We will raise revenues by 10 percent next year in all areas, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced at the 12th Summer University of MGERB.

“At this time next year there will be no place on Hemus highway that would not be under construction,” Borisov said. The money has already been set aside, he said.
 
“If I’m in the place of the Varna people, I will say that I will tolerate GERB until they make Hemus,” the Prime Minister joked.

He also commented on earlier information that Moody’s Investors Service has raised Bulgaria’s credit rating outlook from stable to positive. Borisov also recalled a report by the rating agency Fitch Ratings, which earlier raised the prospect of a long-term credit rating of the Bulgarian Development Bank.

“A few days ago, the credit rating of Bulgaria came from Fitch and Moody’s. Global credit agencies, which, after giving their opinions, are read by the whole world and oriented. You cannot tell them what to write. Nothing to do with the nonsense about debt, etc., “the PM said.

“The agency notes that Bulgaria is characterized by stable performance. But this stability does not seem to be taken into account by the media. But this is what the Fitch experts say – they expect the country to continue making surpluses. They write different idiots -” the country will owe it to the next young people generations, “Fitch’s tells us exactly the opposite,” Borisov noted.

“The banking sector remains stable. What was it about BSP and MRF management? What happened to KTB? Did they forget their pensions when they were $ 3-4 a month? In recent years, this is also in response to the President – Bulgaria is characterized by growing budget surpluses, a steady decrease in government debt. Well, this is already a “pro-GERB position” that cannot be forgiven and they must turn against them, “Borisov jokes.

For Belene, we succeeded not only with diplomacy but also with great effort. In this project, it makes sense if it is constructed correctly, the PM further commented.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Palmer as his Special Representative for the Western Balkans, France’s press and TASS reported, citing a statement from the State Department.

In this role, Palmer will spearhead efforts to strengthen US diplomatic commitment to support peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, and will focus on integrating the Western Balkans into Western institutions.

As Special Representative of the US Secretary of State, Palmer will visit Slovenia tomorrow, September 1, to participate in the Bled Strategic Forum, and will visit Brussels, Vienna, and Podgorica from September 4 to 10.

At the same time, Palmer will continue to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, a position he has held since 2018.

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The following material originally appeared on Global Voices, 26 August 2019 15:55 GMT 

For the past four years, Bulgarian journalist and analyst Ruslan Trad (also a Global Voices contributor) and his colleague Kiril Aramov, a fellow at the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas, Austin, have been studying right-wing extremist groups in Bulgaria under the banner of the Borderline Watch Project.

In May 2019, Trad and Aramazov published a research study titled “Self-Appointed Defenders Of “Fortress Europe”: Analyzing Bulgarian Border Patrols” on the renowned open-source investigative journalism site Bellingcat. The pair are also in the process of writing a book.

Global Voices spoke with Ruslan about their work.

Global Voices: Who exactly are the groups you studied?

Ruslan Trad: Our research has been on the proto-militias that patrol the Bulgarian-Turkish border—the so-called Shipka Bulgarian National Movement (BNO). In 2016, I published an article on these militias on Global Voices that formed the basis for the Bellingcat study.

Since 2016, these patrols have turned from “migrant hunters” into proto-militias with links in far-right circles across Europe. Today, the organization conducts training camps, trainings, and attracts young people to their cause. Our investigations of their paramilitary training camps revealed that the Bulgarian groups serve mainly as hosts. Participants in the camps include citizens of Denmark, Romania, the UK and other countries, who receive training from Russian military instructors. So the goals of these groups are also global in scope.

GV: How would you characterize the BNO’s ideology?

RT: Our research shows that the members of such groups don’t necessarily believe the narratives promoted by their networks about “migrant invasion”, “islamization” and similar ideas. Besides, at present there are only about 600 refugees in the country; even at the peak of the refugee crisis all the migrants who entered Bulgaria could have been housed in a few apartment blocks.

Political and media rhetoric created an image of fear which was exploited effectively by these movements. A member of one such group laughed in my face when I asked him about what they describe as a “migrant invasion.” He said: “[Europe has] 500 million people and hundreds of years of history. A mere one million refugees can’t change that. All the migrants in the world can’t change that. But some of us really believe there’s a danger—that’s a good stimulus for building partnerships. People who are confused are easily guided.”

Their members believe that the state is not doing its job, that we are facing the Apocalypse, as represented by the refugee crisis. They justify their existence by talking about the “inadequacy” of the government. The BNO organization itself openly calls for a change of political order and does not approve of the Constitution.

BNO is also sympathetic to the Syrian government and has participated in joint demonstrations with members of pro-Assad Syrians in Varna.

GV: What’s do Bulgarians think about the BNO?

RT: Many Bulgarians consider BNO a group of unbalanced people who imagine themselves to be defending Bulgaria against the “invaders” coming across the Turkish border. Although a considerable part of Bulgarian society is looks at events at the border with concern, few would engage in extreme and violent actions personally.

For four years now, however, the BNO has been able to conduct its border patrols and run its traning camps without serious action being taken against it, even though its members have been involved in a clash with Ukrainians in Burgas, and have harassed and threatened journalists and public figures.

GV: What takes place in the training camps?

RT: The camps train participants in military and political skills. In the regions where the BNO operates in Burgas and Strandzha, military instructors, members of far-right groups from European countries and other personalities arrive, who in any other situation would elicit a response from the security forces. This includes a prominent Russian military instructor. In a video published in May, the BNO defends the presence of this instructor, claiming he was “on holiday in Bulgaria.”

Although it is unclear how many far-right extremists have been trained in Bulgaria, the intelligence services are aware that these things are happening. Some members of these groups post pictures of their visit to Bulgaria. One of these pictures shows the AR-15, a weapon produced in Bulgaria by Arsenal. Brenton Tarrant, who killed 50 people in two New Zealand mosques in New Zealand, used an AR-51.

There are intelligence reports stating that Tarrant visited the Balkans region months before the massacre in Christchurch, and had ties with the local nationalist groups and was inspired by the BNO and Serbian nationalist groups.

Trainees in these camps include people with ideological leanings similar to Tarrant, who is said to have inspired the shooter who recently killed 20 people in El Paso, Texas. The perpetrator of the August mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio also seems to have been inspired by such groups. Far from being “lone wolves”, these individuals are often connected to right-wing groups in other countries in a kind of extremist international.

Both the El Paso and Ohio attackers, for instance, were fans of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who killed 77 people in 2011. Brevik was linked to the Knights Templar International (KTI), which has been collecting bulletproof vests and other gear to help the Shipka Bulgarian National Movement (BNO Shipka) in the Strandzha Mountain region, on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. (The Knights Templar, the Catholic military organization, has denied any connection with the KTI, saying that there were other smaller groups with the same name).

The KTI has strong ties in Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. They are highly anti-democratic, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic, and maintain close contacts with Russian groups via far-right forums such as the International Russian Conservative Forum. Hungarian media revealed the organization’s intentions to ally itself with radical factions in and in the Republika Srpska and Kosovo they have had clasheswith the authorities.

GV: How has your research been received in Bulgaria?

RT: Our research was and still is largely ignored in Bulgaria, but it gained high visibility abroad. But both of my colleague and I have received threats from far-right extremists because of our work.

GV: What conclusions do you draw from all of this?

RT: The conclusions are not pleasant. Far-right extremists are coming to Bulgaria, receiving military training from a man linked to Russian military intelligence right under the nose of the Bulgarian government. These people are stockpiling weapons—for what reason, it’s unclear. They conduct military tactics meetings and trainings in secret. Research studies have also shown that far-right groups have a unified ideology and have strong transnational communications networks. This goes against the widely-shared theory of the self-radicalized extremist. The recent attacks by far-right extremists in the US show us the extent of the problem, and how dangerous it is for the authorities to keep ignoring it.

 

 

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