PM fires police spokesperson for calling man who photographed sleeping police a ‘fool’
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov ordered the Interior Ministry to fire Varna police spokesperson Kalinka Pencheva after she publicly called a man who had photographed police sleeping on duty a “fool”.
The Goverment media office said that Borissov issued the order because Pencheva had used insulting language against a Bulgarian and had lowered the prestige of the police.
According to an October 25 2012 report by local news agency Focus, Pencheva called Boyan Maximov from the coastal city of Varna “a fool” after the man took a picture of three police officers sleeping in a patrol car while on duty in July 2012.
Bulgarian television channel bTV reported on October 23 that Maximov had complained that after posting the picture online he was tormented, asked to go to the police and had charges laid against him.
Speaking to BTV, Pencheva said: “Maximov is not so great that we all pay attention to him. What should I say, he is a fool. A peasant fool who is wondering what to do.”
Maximov said that he would take court action against her. Pencheva’s behavior caused a very sharp reaction in online social networks and forums.
(Photo of Borissov: Council of the European Union)
