Dozens Detained as Bulgarian Protesters Clash With Police
Dozens Detained as Bulgarian Protesters Clash With Police
(Bloomberg) -- Dozens of people were detained and hurt in Bulgaria as protests against Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s government erupted in violent clashes with police.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets Wednesday night, renewing pressure on the government after two months of rallies and calls for the premier’s resignation over his failure to fight graft. Bulgaria has been repeatedly criticized for its poor rule of law and is the European Union’s worst-ranked member in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
After hours of calm demonstration, several hundred “well organized” people wedged into the otherwise peaceful crowd, throwing bottles, rocks, chairs and firecrackers at officers, Anton Zlatanov, deputy head of the Sofia police, told reporters Thursday. Police officers responded with pepper spray and divided the crowd, forcing smaller groups from the square in front of the parliament building, the former headquarters of the Communist Party that ran the country until 1990.
Almost 200 police and demonstrators were injured, and more than 120 received treatment in hospitals in clashes earlier on Wednesday and during the evening rally.
“The peaceful protest was corrupted,” Zlatanov said. “A red line was crossed today.”
After the clashes, Interior Ministry forces removed tent camps erected by demonstrators that blocked key crossroads in Sofia. Dozens of protesters gathered on the square again throughout the day, and another demonstration is scheduled for Thursday night.
The Union of Bulgarian Journalists condemned “violence against citizens and journalists” in a statement that criticized the police response against peaceful protesters and blamed the clashes on “a handful of obvious provocateurs.”
Police detained 126 people, including soccer hooligans and about half the number with past criminal records, said Georgi Hadzhiev, the head of the Sofia police. Some are being investigated for injuring police in what was the third instance of clashes between police and protesters in the almost two months of daily rallies.
“While national authorities are competent for law enforcement matters, any use of force must always be exercised in a proportionate manner,” European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said in an online briefing.
Criminal Underworld
The EU’s poorest country is locked in a political crisis, with protesters accusing Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev of links with the mafia. They have both denied the accusations and blame powerful oligarchs for supporting the rallies.
“After last night’s excesses, we will not resign -- we’re discontinuing this debate,” Lawmaker Toma Bikov said in parliament in a declaration on behalf of Borissov’s ruling party. “If we do, that would mean that any upcoming government could be toppled by representatives of the criminal underworld.”
Borissov has said he will offer a new constitution to help ensure judicial independence. On Wednesday, he received the support of his coalition partners to start the lengthy parliamentary procedure of discussing the draft law.
He will need backing from opposition lawmakers to call a special assembly to design the new constitution. He has said he may then resign.
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