Top Bulgarian Nationalist Demands PM Ousting over Roma Issue

The leader of the Bulgarian, nationalist, far-right Ataka party, Volen Siderov, says Roma crime in the country has reached drastic proportions. Photo by BGNES

The leader of the Bulgarian, nationalist, far-right Ataka party, Volen Siderov, demanded Wednesday the resignation of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, over his failure to deal successfully with Roma crime in the country.

"The Prime Minister should not take offense, but rather look around and clean this mess, and if he cannot do it, he should resign," Siderov said in the Parliament, stressing the arrest of notorious Roma boss, Kiril Rashkov AKA Tsar Kiro, came too late, since there had been many complaints against him over the years.

The September 23 murder of Bulgarian youngster, Angel Petrov, 19, who was deliberately run over by a mini van, driven by one of Rashkov's relatives, according to witnesses, led to massive protests of the ethnic Bulgarians in the village of Katunitsa, where Tsar Kiro's mansions are located. They culminated Saturday night into the burning of Rashkov's properties by football hooligans from Plovdiv, which is near to Katunitsa, and by football club fans from the capital Sofia and the southern city of Stara Zagora.

On Monday and Tuesday night, protests followed in many major Bulgarian cities, including the capital Sofia. Nearly 300 people in total were arrested by the police after the two nights of rallies that unfortunately involved what has been perceived as ethnic hatred.

Bulgarian authorities have frozen Rashkov's assets and property while he is investigated on tax evasion charges, the revenue agency has confirmed. Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Kalin Georgiev told the morning broadcast of Nova TV channel Wednesday that Rashkov, AKA Tsar Kiro, has been arrested.

The nationalist leader congratulated "all young people who took on the streets to protest against the inactivity of those in power and the draconian Roma crime."

"Their rallies were spontaneous, not organized by any political party or trade union. And it is normal when you have such events, to also have some provocations; it had always been like that," Siderov concluded.