site.btaUPDATED Five People Charged with Hooliganism at Vazrazhdane Protest

The Sofia District Prosecutor's Office charged five people, four adults and one minor, all men, for hooliganism, and some with resisting arrest, said at a briefing by Sofia Deputy Regional Prosecutor Atanas Dotsinski in connection with the escalation of the Vazrazhdane protest against the adoption of the euro on Saturday. The detention measures will be considered on Monday morning, he added.

The punishment provided for in the law is up to five years imprisonment for adults and up to two years for minors, Dotsinski  said.

On Saturday, protesters first gathered in front of the Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia, and later went to the European Commission building, where tensions arose. Participants in the action threw bombs and smeared the building with red paint. As a result of the escalation, there were arrests, and the Ministry of Interior reported that police officers were injured.

Dotsinski also noted that investigations are still ongoing regarding other unidentified people who participated in the escalations, as well as possible involvement of current MPs.

Sofia Directorate of Interior head Lyubomir Nikolov said that a MP was briefly detained but released after presenting identification due to immunity.

Nikolov noted that police officers did not underestimate the protest, and 1,300 people ensured unhindered movement of the group of citizens who had deviated from the approved route. He explained that the Vazrazhdane part and MPs were leding the protest actions but had assured law enforcement that there would be no vandalism and aggression.

Between 2,500-3,000 people attended the protest, and they were transported by about 53 buses to the place of their gathering, Nikolov also informed.