site.btaAuthorities Ease Tensions Apparently Sparked by Roma Families in Byala Cherkva

Byala Cherkva, North Central Bulgaria, August 19 (BTA) - Police and gendarmerie took control of the situation in Byala Cherkva after four local Roma families apparently sparked tensions in the town, Veliko Turnovo District Prosecutor Emil Denev told BTA on Tuesday.

Denev said he has met with the Mayor of Byala Cherkva, Albena Todorova, and members of the local public who insist that the four Roma families should be made to leave the town because they disturb the community.

Tensions escalated on August 9 after members of the infamous Roma families beat up a local man, Mayor Todorova recalled. She agreed with the locals that the Roma families should be driven out of Byala Cherkva. A public petition to this end has been supported by 700 signatures. The District Prosecution Office in Veliko Turnovo noted, however, that forcing the Roma to leave the town would be legally unwarranted.

"Our community wants nothing but order and peace. The conflict is neither political nor ethnic," Todorova said, interviewed by Bulgarian National Radio.

Denev explained that the discontent of the local public is aimed against 18 Roma who settled in Byala Cherkva a few years ago and who have been the target of ever more frequent complaints in recent months. According to Denev, the District Prosecution Office is watching the situation. The authorities have set up several case files, and in the case of the August 9 beating they instituted pretrial proceedings.