The Murder in Plovdiv: The Psychology of Violence and Social Media

The brutal murder in Plovdiv, which was filmed and posted online, has raised questions about social media and aggression. Why are schoolchildren taking justice into their own hands while displaying Nazi symbols?

• The Brutal Murder in Plovdiv: The City Ombudsman Calls a Meeting on Security

Young people went live on social media on Sunday, showing footage of Georgi’s brutal murder – laughing and commenting on what was happening. The video has thousands of views. Some people cheered them, while most were shocked and called for the teenagers to be identified and located by the authorities. As they saw the wave of outrage growing, the young people quickly distanced themselves from the incident, explaining that they had simply been hungry for likes. However, they did not hide the fact that they support the activities of so-called “paedophile hunters”. Groups such as “Paedophile Lives Don’t Matter” and videos in which young people humiliate people they label as paedophiles, drug addicts or simply different are extremely popular.

Galina Lacheva says she was subjected to aggression in 2023 during a screening of the anti-homophobia film Close. At the time, Alen Simeonov and his group created tension at 'Odeon' Cinema.

Galina Lacheva, anti-authoritarian activist: “He encouraged the others to shout at me and my companion: filthy, vile paedophiles, queers, freaks, scum. He knew who I was. Not simply as a queer activist and as a viewer, but he knew that I was among the people who understand what the real and effective alternative is for preventing paedophilia, which overshadows and is radically opposed to what they do, and their heroism is under threat.”

Galina has been studying the psychology of new authoritarian leaders and their followers for years. In her view, a schoolchild’s role is not to act as bait for paedophiles and take the law into their own hands.

Alen Simeonov, who has gained widespread popularity on social media as the “pedophile hunter,” categorically distances himself from the actions of the youths in Plovdiv who beat Georgi to death. He emphasises that his actions are aimed at fostering civic awareness, not at engaging in blind aggression.

• Demerdzhiev on the Plovdiv murder: The Ministry of the Interior is monitoring social media for signs of aggression and threats

The hunters’ cause appears to be a good one – protecting children. Following reports from them, Sofia police even detained more than 20 men aged between 22 and 76 in 2022. The example became contagious, with young people taking on the role of judges, while the “hunting”, filming and posting on social media reached alarming proportions.

The appearance of Nazi symbols is also disturbing. The young people who tortured Georgi posed beside him giving a Nazi salute and holding a flag bearing the emblem of the Third Reich. According to the investigation, they even attempted to carve a swastika into his body.

Galina Lacheva, anti-authoritarian activist: “Whether it’s naivety or misinformation—because propaganda in this regard is very well-funded by these neo-Nazi networks, on a transnational scale. They play very skillfully on people’s subconscious. When it comes to protecting children—everyone wants to protect children—it automatically triggers a response, and people are even blinded by it, so they don’t see the neo-Nazism there.”

The footage also captures young people from Plovdiv making the gesture characteristic of the Russian neo-Nazi “Tesak”—a fist with a bent thumb. He was the founder of the anti-pedophile movement in Russia that went viral on social media, a movement also directed against homosexuals and migrants. Tesak died in a Russian prison in 2020.

• "It was not just a beating, but also a mockery of the victim": Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 beat a man to death in Plovdiv

Political influencer Viktor Yonchev does not accept that the young people from Plovdiv were influenced by Nazi ideology, speaking instead of confusion in their minds.

Viktor Yonchev, political influencer: “They have blue hair, dishevelled clothes and dark make-up, highlighting their connection to EMO and ALT culture, which is extremely liberal towards the LGBT community. And now these children appear with swastikas... All kinds of ideologies are mixed up.”

In his view, stricter measures are needed to reform young people’s behaviour.