Bulgaria's Katunitsa Marks 2 Years since Tragic Clashes

Society | September 22, 2013, Sunday // 12:26|  views

The memorial plaque for the two young men, who lost their lives in September 2011 during clashes in the Bulgarian village of Katunitsa was unveiled on the 1st anniversary of the tragedy. Photo by DarikNews

People from the Plovdiv village of Katunitsa in Bulgaria are marking Sunday the two-year anniversary of the tragic events that led to the deaths of two teens.

Angel Petrov, 19, was intentionally killed at the end of September 2011 when a van ran over him. The van was allegedly commissioned by notorious local Roma clan leader Kiril Rashkov, aka Tsar Kiro, over a long-standing inter-family dispute. In the aftermath, 16-year-old Pavel Tolev, passed away from heart problems in the tumultuous events that followed Angel's death.

The anniversary will be marked by a commemorative football game between veterans and the village current football team. The martial arts club where Angel trained will hold demonstrations of their skills.

Many people from across the country are expected to attend including a number of bikers.

The memorial mass was served on Sunday.

The organizers say locals will never forget the tragic events and will apply every effort to prevent them in the future.

Angel's death two years ago led to local villagers assembling in front of Tsar Kiro's estates on two consecutive nights and inflicting serious damage on them.

The Katunitsa events of September 23 and 24 led to protests across the country against what some saw as toleration on the part of the State and senior officials of the criminal world.

Kiril Rashkov has an alleged long record in bootleg alcohol production, illegal acquisition of land, organization of pickpocketing networks, and human trafficking.

The rallies across the country regrettably took on some clearly racist overtones, with protesters chanting anti-Roma slogans.

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Tags: Angel, Pavel, Katunitsa, Plovdiv, violence, protests, Roma, racist, killed, Tsar Kiro, Kiril Rashkov, football game, solemn mass, procession, memorial plaque, clashes

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