THREE POLICE OFFICERS INJURED AFTER CLASHES IN BULGARIA’S RADNEVO

Three police officers were injured during clashes between protesters and the police in the South Bulgarian town of Radnevo on Wednesday night, 4th of May, chief commissioner Nikolai Kirkov, Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in the South Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora told BNT on 5th of May. One of the police officers had a broken nose.

On 4th of May, at a gathering of a large group of residents in the centre of the Radnevo during an organized procession in one of the main streets, a group of people violated the public order and started throwing various objects, mainly stones, trying to break a police cordon and head to the town’s Roma neighbourhood.

For this reason, the police had to use physical force and auxiliary means to protect the public order, chief commissioner Kirkov said. Three police officers suffered injuries, one was with a broken nose and the other two were slightly injured.

Two people participating in the protests were detained and fast-track proceedings were initiated against them. Five juvenile persons were brought to the police station and were cautioned because they participated in the protests without the knowledge of their parents. Later they were released to the parents.

So far, there is no information reported to the police about other injured participants in the protest, chief commissioner Kirkov said. The work of the police goes on to identify other participants involved in the aggressive clashes, he added.

The chief commissioner explained that the local regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior took all the measures to ensure public order and there would be sufficient number of police officers at the protest, expected to take place this evening.

In the recent days, the town of Radnevo became an arena of widespread clashes between residents and the police. This was triggered following an incident on the road over taking the right-of-way, which happened at the beginning of the week. At the incident, a group of Roma people assaulted three young men.

The three men who were beaten remain in hospital in serious condition. The Roma men are in custody and are to face charges of attempted murder.