At a briefing in front of the Soviet Army Monument here on Saturday, the Vazrazhdane party called for a peaceful resolution of the issue with the monument instead of using violence as an instrument to solve it. The briefing was in reaction to Friday's news that four people have been detained for damaging the monument.
Deyan Nikolov commented that there should be a debate on the monument's relocation as a very significant public dispute. That is how the issue should be solved, and not by sending provocateurs, he added. He argued that the monument preserves Bulgaria's historical memory; it is not a symbol of Russia's politics but of the people who gave their lives against the fascist ideology.
The tent camp in front of the monument will remain because it expresses a civil position, Nikolov noted. "Whichever position it defends, we deserve security in Sofia," he added. Representatives of Vazrazhdane met with the Interior Minister on Friday at the party's request and were assured that the police presence in the monument's area will be increased, particularly at night, to bring to a minimum the risk of future similar situations.
On August 2, a Council of Ministers decision changed the status of the Soviet Army memorial complex from public state property to private state property, which is widely seen as a first step towards going ahead with plans to remove the Stalin-era monument from its present location at the very heart of Sofia and keep only the elements of artistic value. On August 9, a tent camp was erected by the non-parliamentary The Left! coalition to protect the monument from relocation. Supporters of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and Vazrazhdane joined the campers later in the day.
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