Bulgarian unrest: Officials call tragedy a personal dispute, not an ethnic conflict
Yesterday’s wave of anti-Roma demonstrations in several Bulgarian cities has resulted in three people being injured, including two police officers. Protests organized by Internet took place yesterday evening in Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia and Varna. The protests were sparked by a car accident on Friday in the small southern Bulgarian town of Katunica which killed a 19-year-old boy. According to the Regional Court in Plovdiv, the boy’s death could have been intentionally committed as the result of many years of disputes between two local families in Katunica.
Angel Petrov, aged 19, died as the result of a hit-and-run by a minibus transporting relatives of the local Romani “baron”, Kiril Rashkov (nicknamed “Czar Kiro”) to a party. According to the Bulgarian media, Rashkov is an untouchable Romani leader in the municipality who has given local residents a hard time for many years. Local residents speaking on radio and television complained of the “arrogant behavior of Czar Kiro and the members of his family”, who they claim “makes millions from the sale of alcohol and does not pay taxes”.
The unrest spread to other cities whose residents reportedly are of the opinion that crimes committed by Romani people go unpunished. The protests took place despite the warnings of Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and Bulgarian PM Bojko Borisov that the authorities would intervene harshly against anyone committing ethnic violence. Both politicians emphasized that the case was based on a “conflict between individuals, not nationalities”. In order to calm the public in Katunica, the Bulgarian Government has announced it will investigate the origins of the Rashkov clan’s wealth.
The main actors in Monday’s demonstrations were college students, football rowdies and ultra-rightists, according to news server Novinite.com. The demonstrators chanted slogans not only against the Romani minority, but also against the Turkish minority. In some cities the demonstrations ended without violence, while in others they deteriorated into brawls between demonstrators and police.
The Czech Press Agency reports that in Sofia, one girl and one police officer suffered injuries during the police intervention against the demonstration there; 27 people were arrested. The demonstrations in the capital took place in front of the Bulgarian Parliament, where approximately 1 000 people gathered. In the coastal town of Varna, one police officer was injured and 23 people were arrested. In Plovdiv, about 3 000 people demonstrated and 47 people were arrested for vandalism (both men and women). The youngest person arrested was a 12-year-old boy who threw stones at police officers. Police have announced that the court will hold his parents responsible. Mayor of Pliovdiv Alexandaer Dolev has arranged, on the basis of an agreement with Bulgarian President George Parvanov, for crisis staffs to assist with preventing and suppressing the anti-Roma unrest.
Bulgarian news server dnes.bg reports that Simeon Stolipinovo Yosifov (56) has been charged with vehicular murder in the death of the boy in Katunica. Yosifov works for Rashkov and was driving the van at the time. A nationwide manhunt for him was announced before he was apprehended at the Turkish border. He apologized for the boy’s death to the Regional Court in Plovdiv and claimed to have never seen him before. The court, however, is convinced that the incident was an intentional felony.
The news server also reports that the mother of the murdered boy had been in disputes with the Rashkov family for several years. Police had previously handled complaints of death threats being made by members of each family against the other.
