I do not tolerate and do not accept any forms of violence against both police officers and protesters. I clearly distance myself from any kind of arbitrariness.
This is what the Bulgarian Minister of the Interior Kalin Stoyanov said, BGNES reported.
Stoyanov commented on the incidents on 14 November before the European qualification football match between Bulgaria and Hungary. Before and during the match there were clashes between the police and protesters who want the resignation of the leadership of the Bulgarian Football Union. Some of the protesters caused unrest, but there were also cases of excessive use of force by the police.
Minister had ordered accelerated internal checks and new measures to prevent similar cases in the future.
I am 100% with Prime Minister Denkov for a thorough analysis of the individual cases of violence during the protest against the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), Stoyanov insisted. Yesterday Nikolay Denkov said the following: "I cannot be the Prime Minister of a government that beats people in the street. My attitude to the Minister of Internal Affairs will depend on his attitude towards violence."
The Interior Minister also congratulated all the Interior Ministry officials who jointly and responsibly did their job during the protest last Thursday. "You were insulted, provoked in every way, hit with stones, pushed away with burning containers, but you did your job", Stoyanov said and thanked the police for not allowing a pogrom in the centre of Sofia.
The Interior Minister is adamant that it is unacceptable "for someone to interfere in the work of the Interior Ministry, as the former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov did." /BGNES
