Sofia University President Slams Renewed Anti-Govt Occupation

Prof. Ivan Ilchev, President of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski." Photo by BGNES

Sofia University President Ivan Ilchev has strongly criticized the students who once again occupied the university’s main building as a sign of protest against the government.

“This is not a protest of Sofia University students. Someone is apparently standing behind them, trying to stir tensions,” Ilchev told the Bulgarian National Television on Saturday.

“A group of 10 people should not blackmail 10 000 students,” he added.

Ilchev further accused the protesters of having the mentality of “two-year-old children.”

The news of the renewed occupation broke out at around midnight on Friday, with one of the students reading out a declaration a little after 2 am EET Saturday.

The declaration described the end of the previous occupation of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” as a mistake.

The students once again demanded the embattled government’s resignation, citing a number of recent corruption scandals, including the Constitutional Court’s decision to keep shady media mogul Delyan Peevski’s lawmaker status.

They also named the money laundering case against former ruling MP Hristo Biserov, fears of illegal construction in the protected area of Strandzha, ultranationalist MP Volen Siderov’s latest airport row and Bulgarian Socialist Party lawmaker Strahil Angelov’s recent controversial visit to Syria as reasons for their protest.

The students also demanded that Ilchev should step down, as they feel he failed to protect the university’s academic autonomy during the previous occupation.

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