President and security services differ in their assessment of police performance during Sept 2 protests

At a working meeting in the Presidency on September 4, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev and security chiefs discussed the civil disorders during the September 2nd protest. The head of state asked who allowed provocateurs in the square. The Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior replied that the police cannot restrict people's access to the protest.

According to Rumen Radev, the police used violence against peaceful protesters and even journalists. The answer was that every signal is checked and if there is an excess of police powers there will be penalties.

At his meeting with the heads of the security services, the head of state asked questions, to which according to him, the public expected to hear the answers.

Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "Why were provocateurs with dangerous means allowed in the Triangle of Power, whose security is ensured by the police and gendarmerie. Why the health and lives of police officers and members of the public were put at risk by not reacting for a long time to provocateurs and is there any information about who these people are, were they organised, who sent them? "

The Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Ivaylo Ivanov, replied that the police were guarding the protests, although there were no notifications submitted about the protests as per the law. Ivaylo Ivanov also explained by giving an example with checkpoints. He said that when the checkpoints are set up, the police are reproached for restricting the right to free movement, as well as the right to protest, and when they do not make the checkpoints, the police is again reproached and asked why they allow everyone to enter.

Ivanov also explained that the space called the "Triangle of Power" can be reached through many places and control cannot be highly effective. According to the Chief Secretary, the repeated calls by the protest organisers for radicalisation of the protest actions, even for blood shedding also contributed to the disturbances on September 2.

Ivaylo Ivanov, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior: "The police, in the morning and in the evening, especially in the evening,... I don't know if it is convenient to say what they were subjected to. Because in the evening everyone heard the explosions and saw the damage to the police. In the morning the police were hit with the Bulgarian flags, pushed below the waist with wooden sticks and, excuse me for saying this, but they were grabbed in the groin, from below, where it is not easily visible, where neither our cameras nor the media cameras can see. The are living people, they are not robots."

The Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior added that on September 2, the main task of the police was, firstly, to prevent the protest from blood shedding, and secondly, to prevent intrusion into the buildings of the Presidency, Parliament and Council of Ministers.

Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "Why did the police use brutal violence against members of the public, a large part of whom have nothing to do with the provocateurs. The question is why journalists were beaten, given that they repeatedly identified themselves as such and did not provoke with their actions ".

The Chief Secretary replied that all reports of police misconduct were being investigated. He clarified that in the presence of the media he could not share specific information, because one part of it was classified, the Prosecutor's Office has initiated proceedings and investigations were underway.

Ivaylo Ivanov, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior: "A police officer...having been on his feet for 12 hours, is hit on the head with the wooden handle of the Bulgarian flag or with metal pole, or grabbed and squeezed between the legs, or have straw bales thrown at the officers’ feet with the intention that the straw is set on fire and burn them, and bombs thrown at them ...do the police not have the right to fulfill their legal obligations to restore public order. If an officer exceeded his/her powers, if we find such a case and gather evidence, he/she will suffer the consequences.

Ivanov added that no journalist covering the protest was injured by the police, but stressed that if someone hit a police officer or threw bombs and then pulled out a journalist's card - it does not give them immunity.

However, according to the Chief Secretary, many more police officers than members of the public were injured in the aggression during the protest. The most severely injured is a police officer, at whom a bomb was thrown and exploded in his lap and severely injured the entire groin area.

Ivaylo Ivanov, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior: “The morning after the protest, I asked one of the police officers about a situation...he was holding his shield when a bomb fell on his hand. His eye was damaged, it is unknown whether his eye sight will be restored. What can I tell this employee? "I'm sorry, colleague, but you used brutal force and attacked a protester.

Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "Obviously, you are not watching TV. If you had watched TV, you would have seen footage of things from which you have to draw the relevant conclusions as Chief Secretary."

The director of Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, Georgi Hadzhiev, explained that on the evening of September 2, the police preferred to take the blow on themselves and wait for the peaceful protesters to withdraw from the square on their own.

“After a group of about 700-800 people, extremely aggressive, arrogant, seeking a direct confrontation with the police, we took action to push them out and split them in order to neutralize them in order to preserve the health of the police and civilians" Hadzhiev said.

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