Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

No arrests have been made following last night's violent protest in front of the National Theater

Photo: BTA

No arrests have been made for last night's riots in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theater in Sofia during a protest against the new prodution "Guns and the Man", directed by John Malkovich. This was announced to BNT by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Atanas Ilkov. 

At a briefing, he described the response of the police as quick, adequate and immediate. 60 riot police officers were sent to the scene, although the Sofia Directorate for Internal Affairs had no information about provocations involving football hooligans. 


Today, the prosecutor's office assigned the Sofia Directorate for Internal Affairs to identify the violators of the order, and they have already been identified. When asked why there were no arrests after protesters attacked theater director Vasil Vasilev, animator Teodor Ushev and actor Vladimir Penev, the police explained that in such a situation the goal is first to "tame the tension" and then proceed to arrest.

According to the Sofia Directorate for Internal Affairs, there was no way to make a cordon last night so that the spectators with tickets could enter the theater, as there were provocateurs among them. "I thank my colleagues for doing a great job, for not allowing the escalation of tension, for not taking actions to detain persons in the situation in which the tension was escalating, because then you would have asked questions: "How exactly did you allow the center of Sofia to bleed in front of the National Theater?", said the director of the Metropolitan Directorate of Internal Affairs, Lyubomir Nikolov.

A protest and a counter-protest are planned for this evening in front of the National Theater.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

President Rumen Radev

Bulgaria's President, Prime Minister send Christmas extend for unity

Merry Christmas, dear compatriots! On today's great Christian holiday, I wish every Bulgarian home to be filled with health and well-being. This is what Bulgarian President Rumen Radev wrote on Facebook.   "Let us preserve a piece of the warmth of..

published on 12/25/24 12:28 PM
Danube bridge

Road traffic to Romania and Turkey is intense

Traffic at the border crossings with Romania and Turkey is intense, the Bulgarian Border Police reported. Traffic with Romania is intense at Kardam border crossing at the exit for trucks.  Due to major repairs to the Bulgarian section of the..

published on 12/25/24 10:51 AM

The animals at the Burgas Zoo welcome Santa Claus

Santa Claus arrives today at the Burgas Zoo to give Christmas presents to the animals, the press center of Burgas Municipality reported. There will also be a tour of the zoo, as well as a zoo quiz with gifts for the children. The children will be..

published on 12/25/24 6:45 AM