site.btaUPDATED MP Georgi Svilenski Injured at Soviet Army Monument, Says BSP Leader Korneliya Ninova

BSP leader Korneliya Ninova commented to journalists in Parliament on the dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument in downtown Sofia, which began on Tuesday after much controversy. Ninova pointed out the heated situation at the site noting that a person from the regional administration pushed the fence deliberately and forcefully on BSP MP Georgi Svilenski and injured his arm. Svilenski is currently at the hospital. 

"Absurd and unacceptable", she commented, adding that "freedom of expression, freedom of protest - everything has been trampled".

"Every single monument is a part of the history of Bulgaria. By destroying monuments, you are destroying the history of Bulgaria," said the BSP leader. She pointed out that her party supports preserving all the monuments and studying history as it was.

"I am addressing GERB-UDF and Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, because at the moment the regional governor is theirs, the majority in Sofia is theirs, these are the authorities that took the steps to remove a part of Bulgaria's history," said Ninova, urging them to stop. "The division, the hatred, the aggression, which led to people fighting today, is your fault," she stressed.

Earlier on Monday, during a discussion in Parliament on changes to the Constitution, Ninova commented that while MPs are looking for a solution for the rule of law and for the unification of the nation and the majority, other MPs are fighting in front of the Soviet Army Monument.

Later in the day, Georgi Svilenski explained to journalists how he got injured at the fence of the Soviet Army Monument. He said that the deputy regional governor was on the inside of the fence, while the BSP representatives were on the outside. They asked the police for assistance in getting inside, but the deputy regional governor indicated that they had no right of access. 

"His employee, rushing from 3-4 metres away, in the presence of the police, threw himself on the fence, which fell on me, injured my hand, but the injury is not serious," explained the MP, adding that he filed a complaint with the police. 

"The more significant problem is how a public servant could act like that in the centre of Sofia" commented Svilenski, and added that political leaders Boyko Borissov, Delyan Peevski, Kiril Petkov, Hristo Ivanov, Vassil Terziev owe answers for what happened "because this regional governor was appointed by them" and they are responsible.

The press centre of the regional administration stated to BTA that  "Mr. Svilenski injured himself on the fence".