Protest held in Sofia over recent Incidents with migrants

A protest against migrants was held last night, March 10, in the capital Sofia.

The protest was announced in front of the building of the Ministry of Interior, but the police allowed the protesters only in the garden in front of the church near the building of the ministry.

Protesters said the incidents of the past few days threaten security in the capital and the country, and the problem has worsened since Bulgaria’s admission to Schengen by air.

"For the past three weeks, the number of people who stay here has been growing, they do not belong to our culture, to our civilisation, to our way of life. We don't want these people to be here and we will make sure they are gone," said Angel Dzhambazki, MEP.

"The provocation has been that these migrants are walking around in groups, this is not an isolated case and this is not permanent and some ugly things have happened to the girl, of a sexual nature, and the boy has tried to protect them and has a wound on his back," explained Dimitar Panchev.

Images by BTA

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Six people were arrested in connection with the two physical fights in the centre of Sofia. It turned out that those who fought on Blvd. "Vitosha" on Wednesday evening knew each other and their dispute was over a girl. The Minister of Interior said the attacks were not racially motivated and urged that these cases not be used for political purposes and to provoke tension. Two foreigners, an Egyptian and a Syrian, were arrested for an assault on two underage boys and a girl on the night of March 6 on "Vitosha" boulevard, near the intersection with Blvd. "Patriarch Evtimiy. They knew one another and the conflict was personal.

A 16-year-old Bulgarian, known to the police for theft and robbery, was arrested for another assault, on March 8, again on Vitosha boulevard, metres away from the intersection with Solunska street.

"We have already identified and detained four persons in this case. To my greatest regret, these are again underage Bulgarian citizens, even, the fourth is a minor. All of them have a rich criminal past," said Zhivko Kotsev, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior.

"It is this gentleman you are referring to, the 16-year-old, who led a group of youths who saw another group, persons of Pakistani origin - students at the Medical University, and then chased and fought within a distance of 150-200 meters from Vitosha 24 to Vitosha 54," added Lyubomir Nikolov, director of Sofia Directorate of the Interior.

Most likely, the attack on the students was for the purpose of robbery, after the detainee saw that they had several expensive phones, he stole one, he added.

More than 100 persons were arrested in a police operation in Sofia on Saturday night, March 9, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior said. Police presence was strengthened in several residential districts in the capital.