Bulgarian Nationalist Ataka under Attack from Left, Right

Domestic | May 25, 2011, Wednesday // 13:28|  views

The co-Chair of the right-wing Blue Coalition, Ivan Kostov, denounces the nationalist Ataka party for instigating a religious and ethnic clash. Photo by BGNES.

All Bulgarian parliamentary represented political parties condemned Wednesday the actions of the far-right, nationalist Ataka party in front of a mosque in downtown Sofia last Friday.

The parties demand that the Prosecutor's Office executes a probe and presses legal charges against those responsible for the bloody clash.

"The Prime Minister must kick Ataka out of the Parliament, and take a firm stand against the behavior of party members and followers" the Deputy Chair of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, Lyutvi Mestan, appealed from the parliamentary tribune, adding underestimating the threat posed by the nationalists and their leader, Volen Siderov, would be the greatest challenge for ethnic peace in the country.

Mestan reiterated requests for stripping Ataka Members of the Parliament from immunity for the sake of the probe and earlier vows DPS would alert all EU institutions, NATO, and the UN about violations of human rights in Bulgaria.

After last Friday, when activists of Ataka led by Siderov assaulted praying Muslims in the Banya Bashi mosque in downtown Sofia during a protest rally against the loudspeakers used by the mosque, there have been petitions by the civil society and by DPS for a ban of the nationalist party for instigating ethnic and religious hatred.

The co-Chair of the right-wing Blue Coalition, Ivan Kostov, also took the stand, further denouncing Ataka for instigating a religious and ethnic clash, saying the incident was a provocation against safety and security in the country in times of global tensions.

Kostov appealed to all politicians and institutions to react swiftly and demanded the ousting of Ataka MPs, who took part in the clash, from leadership positions within Parliamentary Committees.

The right-wing leader further blamed the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, both from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party, for failing to react adequately to the situation and stop the protest.

Kostov asked GERB who would bear the responsibility if another country is allowed to interfere in Bulgaria's internal affairs, referring to statements of Turkish PM Erdogan condemning the attack on Muslims in Sofia.

GERB countered the criticism by saying they are in no coalition with Ataka.

The GERB Parliamentary Deputy Speaker, Anastas Anastasov, declared the Blue Coalition and the left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, are using the incident to polish their tarnished approval ratings, while DPS and Ataka are attempting to drum their voters' support for the upcoming local and presidential elections.

"We never made a deal with Ataka and will never do it. We did not support their declarations for Ottoman genocide against Bulgarians and for stopping news broadcast in Turkis on national TV," Anastasov pointed out.

"Colleagues from Ataka – we did appreciate your support, but this time, I think, you overstepped all boundaries. This is not our path. If the time has come for Ataka to play solo, and use tricks that do not align with democratic principles and tolerance, we are continuing alone. Bulgaria needs dignity, honor and morals," the Deputy Speaker stressed.

Upon Siderov taking the stand, part of the MPs from the left-wing left plenary hall in sign of protest.

The nationalist leader responded to Kostov, saying he did not care about his post in the Parliamentary Committee for Control of the State Agency for National Security, DANS, and accused the right-wind of using the case to secure Parliamentary leadership posts for their own people.

Siderov was adamant the clashes were provoked by Muslims and vowed to produce video proving his claims.

The Ataka leader declared to ban his party would equal Communist dictatorship.

The left-wing joined everyone else in asking for criminal and political sanctions against those responsible for this "type of behavior," including both Ataka and GERB.

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Tags: right-wing, Blue Coalition, Ivan Kostov, nationalist, Ataka, religious, ethnic, clash, far-right, Volen Siderov, DPS, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, muslims, GERB, Coalition for Bulgaria, Anastas Anastasov, Lyutvi Mestan, BSB

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