35 arrested during clashes at anti-government protests in Sofia

Speaking at an afternoon briefing, the Head of Sofia Directorate of the Interior Ministry, chief commissioner Georgi Hadzhiev, said that 35 people were arrested during clashes in capital city Sofia on September 2 at anti-government protests. The protesters tried to breach a police cordon around the building of the National Assembly, while it was holding its first sitting of the autumn session.

Despite numerous calls for preseving public order, at today's protests we did not see understanding and a direct confrontation with the police officers was sought by protesters, Hadzhiev said. The actions of the police are entirely within our legal powers, even at times it can be said that they were passive, he explained.

Protesters used metal rods, wooden sticks, stones and cobblestones. Our employees even tried to calm down the situation, Hadzhiev explained.

More than 35 people have been detained, most of them from a political party, for which the Prosecutor’s Office had asked the court to cancel its registration. 30 of the detained have previous criminal record, the director of Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior added.