Bulgarian Jewish organisations hold talks with Interior Ministry over Bansko incident

The leadership of Bulgarian Jewish organisations held talks with acting Interior Ministry chief secretary Lyubomir Nikolov on August 6 regarding the incident in the mountain resort town of Bansko in which there was conflict between far-right extremists and visiting Italian Jews.

In an Interior Ministry statement after the meeting, Nikolov was quoted as saying that the ministry would do everything it could to clarify the facts surrounding the verbal clash.

The statement said that Nikolov briefed the representatives of the Jewish community in Bulgaria on the chronology of the August 2 incident as well as the actions of the police.

” All participants have been identified, the materials have been reported to the Prosecutor’s Office,” Nikolov said, adding that the law enforcement agencies responded immediately to the signal of tension and it was extinguished .

He expressed his readiness, with the prosecutor’s permission, to introduce those interested to the materials on the investigation.

Nikolov said that the Bulgarian state had always condemned antisemitic acts, and the Interior Ministry had always taken a position within its powers.

The statement said that the representatives of the Jewish community expressed their gratitude for the long-standing good cooperation , and the two sides expressed their readiness to continue their interaction to ensure the security of international forums and events on the territory of Bulgaria.

Initial information about the incident on August 2 appeared in Italian media, stating that “a group of neo-Nazis tried to break into a hotel in Sofia, where a group of young Italian Jews were staying”.

Later, the Interior Ministry said that the case actually happened in Bansko .

The meeting between Nikolov and representatives of Jewish organizations in our country lasted for nearly an hour.

After the meeting, their position remained unchanged, namely that the incident in Bansko was an attack on Jewish children, not an act of hooliganism.

While the police gave an assurance that the case is being worked on, the Organisation of the Jews in Bulgaria Shalom is insisting that the case is divided into two – to investigate possible hooliganism on the part of the Italian youth and to separately check the version of antisemitism because of footage that was distributed with a Nazi salute to Italian children, first in the media in Italy.

Shalom President Alina Levi said: “We discussed the case again. What we are confident about is that the case is being worked on, both on site and within their powers, the police officers on duty have done their job, and the Interior Ministry is currently doing the same.

“It is very important for us to distinguish between the elements of this case and what is related to the behavior of these (Italian) children, the damage they possibly caused to the hotel,” Levi said.

The meeting was also attended by Nikolai Gulubov, head of the Federation of Zionists in Bulgaria, and Julia Georgieva, head of the Central Israelite Religious Council.

“It is important for us that Bulgarian society and we agree on the fact that such manifestations of antisemitism affect the name of Bulgaria, and not only the Jewish community. They must be condemned and dealt with with all the severity of the laws in Bulgaria. This is an undeserved stain on Bulgaria,” Levi said.

She said that it was no coincidence that so many tourists of Jewish origin prefer Bulgaria as a destination , because the society here is tolerant and they feel good here. This can no longer be said for many places in Europe and we want to preserve it and it is important for us, Levi said.

Asked if they expect punishments in the case, Levi said that their expectations are for the law enforcement agencies to do their job, not punishments.

“We expect them to provide evidence of whether there are premises for a crime or something . I don’t think we are playing the victim or proving something that is not evident,” she said.

The Commission for Protection against Discrimination said on August 6 that the prevention of manifestations of antisemitism and all forms of discrimination is an essential element of guaranteeing public order , protecting human rights and establishing Bulgaria as a state that upholds the principles of tolerance, equality and the rule of law.

The commission considers disturbing the reports that a group of young people were subjected to insults and threats in relation to their Jewish origin during their stay in a hotel in Bansko, it said.

The commission said that antisemitism is a form of discrimination based on religion or ethnicity and is incompatible with the values ​​of a democratic society, and that it has the potential to lead to serious violations of the rights of Jews and to placing them in a discriminatory position, which is why combating it has become a leading policy of Europe and is part of a number of international human rights instruments, EU declarations and recommendations of the European Commission against racism and intolerance.

The commission statement emphasizes that the current case is a clear signal that prevention and protection from unequal treatment should be the basis of all actions of the competent authorities and the entire society. It said that it will continue to strictly monitor the case and, after fully clarifying the entire factual situation, will initiate proceedings if necessary.

Prime Minister Roumen Radev said on August 6: “The Bulgarian people have categorically proven over the centuries their tolerance for different ethnicities and religions”.

“During the Second World War, Bulgaria saved its entire Jewish community from the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and gave a moral lesson to the whole of Europe, which we should not forget,” Radev said.

“It is in the traditions of our institutions and our society not to accept any manifestations of xenophobia, racism and antisemitism and to always react, as happened yesterday, to condemn hate speech,” he said.

Radev called on foreign politicians, who were quick to condemn Bulgaria over the verbal clash between the two groups of youth, to familiarize themselves with the facts before commenting on Bulgaria.

“We are ready to provide them with these facts in their entirety,” he said. 

Radev called on all those visiting Bulgaria to abide by the country’s laws, to respect the dignity of Bulgarian citizens, to respect private property, not to destroy, to observe decency, and not to provoke tension through their behaviour.