Three More Detained After the Protest Organised by "Vazrazhdane" Party Against the Adoption of the Euro in Bulgaria

Late last night, February 23, the police arrested three more individuals in connection with the incidents in front of the European Commission building in Sofia. This brings the total number of those detained after the "Vazrazhdane" protest to 10, with two of them being released due to their parliamentary immunity.

Five individuals have been charged with hooliganism, with particular cynicism—one of them is 17 years old. In addition to the protesters, 10 police officers were also injured during the escalation of tension on Saturday, one of whom is Georgi Kamenov.

"We were forming a cordon, and I was directly hit in the right eye with an egg filled with paint, causing a cut in my cornea and leaving shell fragments in my eye. We tried to form the cordon, and and going into it, I was hit, and my colleagues pulled me out to assist me," explained Georgi Kamenov, from the "Specialised Police Forces" unit of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs.

According to him, there were quite a few aggressive people among the protesters, which suggests prior preparation.

"I didn’t recognize anyone, I don’t know most of the MPs. It's not my first time seeing an angry crowd, but it's the first time I’ve been injured."

The police acted adequately and in no way aimed to create tension among the protesters, Georgi Kamenov is adamant.

Protest organised by "Vazrazhdane" party against the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria escalated into an attack on the European Commission building in Sofia