site.btaPresident Radev Meets with Interior Ministry Chief Secretary, National Security Agency Chief after Violent Protests in Sofia

Sofia, September 4 (BTA) - The public expects many answers, said
 here on Friday President Rumen Radev at the start of his
meeting with the Interior Ministry's Chief Secretary, Ivaylo
Ivanov, and the head of the State Agency for National Security,
Dimitar Georgiev.

On September 2, Bulgaria saw a day of violence, the head of
State said, adding that he is very concerned about the health of
 both innocent citizens and the dozens of injured police
officers, who were carrying out the orders of their superiors.

The large anti-government protest on Wednesday was marred by
violence, when   over 100 pyrotechnics were fired at the law
enforcers, eighty of whom sustained injuries. A total of 126
persons were detained, including 62 with criminal records and
football hooligans. Photos and videos on social media show
scenes of police brutality while the protest was being
suppressed: demonstrators and journalists sprayed with pepper
gas, kicked in the head and hit with brass knuckles.
   
President Radev raised the question why provocateurs carrying
hazardous objects were allowed to enter the protest, whose
security was the job of the police, why the health and lives of
police officers and civilians were put at risk by the actions of
 these provocateurs, which were allowed to continue
uninterrupted for a while. Radev also asks whether there is
information who these people are, whether they were organized
and who sent them to the protest. He also asked why law
enforcers resorted to brutal violence against citizens, many of
whom had nothing to do with the provocateurs. According to
Radev, there is also the question why journalists were beaten as
 well. There is footage of police officers using forbidden means
 to sudue citizens, such as brass knuckles, the head of State
commented. According to him, certain circumstances pertaining to
 some of the police officers' uniforms also raise questions.

Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Ivanov responded as follows:
"As to the question why brutal violence was exercised against
protesters, I would also ask why the protesters used brutal
force against the police? I have said this many times - the
Bulgarian police is not protecting certain individuals, we
protect institutions. I believe that during all these days of
protests, the police officers have proven that they are not
taking sides. They tried not to overstep their powers," he said.
 

Ivanov also commented the fact that a water cannon was brought
to the Wednesday protest in front of Parliament's new building.
"It (the water cannon) was not used. This is a practice in many
countries, but we have only used it once here since it was
donated by the Belgian police," he explained. Ivanov noted that
the police officers who were providing security during the
Wednesday protest were subjected to a fierce attack. "These boys
 and girls also had to return home and embrace their families.
Why do you believe these police officers are interested in
politics? We are doing our job, like we have been trained. I
disagree that there was police brutality," he said, recalling
that he had said before that he would not tolerate such acts and
 the matter will be probed. NV/MY