Protesting nurses barricade themselves in a building of the Parliament

Several protesting nurses barricaded themselves in the Parliament's building on Independence Square in Sofia late on March 5. They remain inside to the present moment.

This comes after healthcare professionals on March 1 said they are starting indefinite protests demanding healthcvare reform, better working conditions and higher pay .

One of the nurses went to stand on the window sill. Protesting nurses say they were subject to violence. The National Service for Protection denied.

According to the head of the National Service for Protection, their communication with barricaded nurses is smooth and normal.

He said that nurses, who are protesting with the mothers of disabled children were preparing a document and when ready they will probably come out on their own. At this stage, there are no intentions to be forced out.

The decision to barricade themselves was taken yesterday at about 16.00 immediately after the end of the health committee meeting. The night in the building for the five nurses was quiet until 4am this morning when employees of the Natuional Service for Protection shut off electricity in the hall. This prompts protesters to climb inside the ledges.

One of the proteters Maya Ilieva said that over 20 people went into the hall. Now they claim that we were on the ledges and they came to save us from falling, which is a gross lie, she said. Then I laid down here on the floor and 4 people took me outside, dragging me, she added.

The National Service for Protection confirmed that around 4 am this morning they stopped the electricity in the hall. They explain the action as an attempt to get barricaded health workers to leave the building. However, they firmly reject the claim that they exercised any violence over the protesting nurses.

Brigadier General Krasimir Stanchev, head of the Natuional Service for Protection: "One of the ladies, about 8 o’çlock, when I came in she warned me not to approach her, as she would jump out of the window. Only our service was left to take all measures. There was no violence. When you run towards someone to catch him, he/she considers it as violent, bot I don't think it was violence.

Speaking to the media on March 6, parliamentary Healthcare Committee Chair Daniela Daritkova of GERB described the protestors' actions as a provocation. She said that before they barricaded themselves in a room inside Parliament's building, the nurses rushed in amid a sitting of the Healthcare Committee at 4 pm on Thursday. In her words, the nurses in no way tried to communicate with the Committee members, and spoke only with journalists. "I dare to say that, in my opinion, that was a purposeful, organised provocation," Daritkova said.

One of the nurses purposefully went to stand on the ledge of a window, when all TV channels were showing it, Daritkova added. In her words, it was extremely risky to leave a woman in an unstable psychological state on a window ledge, and two notable representatives of the National Service for Protection were unable to handle the situation. According to her, dialogue should be sought but in no case should unlawful actions be tolerated.

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