The authorities were officially informed that the protest in front of the National Theatre "Ivan Vazov" would take place. More than 60 police officers were engaged to ensure the security and public order. After the tensions arose, additional forces were involved, performing patrol activity on the territory of Sofia. The additional tension arose from the inappropriate action of the theatre director who went to hold talks with the protesters. He did not appreciate the situation that there was tension in front of the theatre. If he had coordinated his actions with the Ministry of Interior, perhaps the escalation of tension could have been prevented, caretaker Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov told the Bulgarian National Televisions’ morning programme "The Day Begins" on November 8.
Protesters outside National Theatre in Sofia try to stop premiere of George Bernard Shaw comedy 'Arms and the Man'
The police officers at the protest reacted adequately. "No protesters or citizens who came to watch the play were injured. An analysis of the overall situation will be made and we will watch the footage from video cameras. There were no arrests, no chaos,” Ilkov assured.
According to him, the police should not take sides.
"I cannot say that the provocative actions were dictated by certain political entities or other interested persons, I have no such information. We will adopt additional measures for today's performance, there will be a stronger police presence so that we do not witness ugly scenes," Atanas Ilkov said and expressed hope that everyone will be able to get to the theater tonight.
Despite the ongoing protest outside the theatre last night, the play was staged but was watched by a small audience, mostly reporters, as the protesters did not allow ticket holders to enter the building.
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