Rodna Zashtita (bg|Родна Защита), meaning Native Defense, was a nationalist, anti-Semitic, fascist organization that operated in Bulgaria from before 1923 to 1936. At its peak in the late 1920s, it had tens of thousands of members.[1]
Rodna Zashtita had an anti-agrarian, anti-communist, and anti-Semitic ideology. In addition, the organization opposed the Freemasons. The organization advocated corporatism and demanded the abolition of political parties. The organisation's members wore black shirts, saluted with a fascist salute and spread propaganda of love for Bulgaria and preaching sacrifice for the homeland.[2] The organization has been classified as "proto-fascist" by the researcher of fascism in Bulgaria, Nikolai Poppetrov.[3] Rodna Zashtita sporadically committed attacks upon Bulgarian Turks.[4] In 1933, the group attacked the Turkish cemetery in Razgrad.[5] After 1936, its members merged with the Ratnik organization.[6]