site.btaInterior Ministry Reports to PM on Police Actions during Nov. 7 Protest Rally in Front of National Theatre

The Interior Ministry has sent Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev a report on its actions for maintaining public order before, during and after a November 7 event in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in central Sofia, the Ministry said on Friday. On November 8, Glavchev asked for "a detailed description of the event, of who and how handled their duties and their powers, especially the top brass".

Tension escalated outside the National Theatre on November 7 as protesters tried to stop the premiere of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, claiming that the play is humiliating to Bulgaria. They also called for the resignation of National Theatre Director Vasil Vasilev, who tried to reason with the crowd but was assaulted by them and security guards helped him get back inside the theatre. The protesters also stopped ticket-holding spectators from entering the theatre.

The play is set during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War. The controversial performance is directed by John Malkovich.

The Interior Ministry said in its report that it had been informed by the National Theatre director and the Culture Minister that the premiere had provoked a strong interest and that a two-hour cultural event announced by the Bashtino Ognishte (Paternal Hearth) National Movement and approved by City Hall was to take place that evening.

An hour before the event, 70 police officers were deployed in the area around the theatre and 20 more were on standby to provide security. More officers from the capital's police precincts were also ready to join them.

The event started as a gathering of some 150 people, with no signs of verbal or physical aggression and of antisocial behaviour. Later on, public figures known for their political activism and nationalist rhetoric, accompanied by other persons, joined those gathered.

Around 6 pm, half an hour after the event started, the theatre director went out in front of the building and addressed the crowd. His actions were spontaneous and were not coordinated with the law enforcers. Police officers stepped in promptly, surrounded the theatre director and set up a cordon to protect the life and health of those present, the Ministry's report said. Even after the theatre management decided to limit attendance to journalists only, which caused further discontent, the law enforcement authorities did not allow tensions to escalate.

The report said that through its actions and mobilization, the Sofia Directorate of Interior prevented serious consequences from the use of pyrotechnics and protected state, municipal and private property. It put arrangements in place for performances to be held in a normal situation on the next couple of days.