site.btaUPDATED Prime Minister on Verbal Aggression Case: "We Reacted and Condemned Hate Speech"

Commenting on an incident involving verbal aggression between Bulgarian and Italian youths outside a hotel in the mountain resort of Bansko, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters, "It is a longstanding tradition of our institutions and our society not to tolerate any manifestations of xenophobia, racism or antisemitism and to respond whenever they occur. That is exactly what we did yesterday - we reacted and condemned hate speech." Radev is on a visit to Dobroslavtsi Air Base on Thursday, where the high-tech industrial park and space and defence R&D centre will be built.

"The Bulgarian people have consistently demonstrated throughout history their tolerance towards different ethnic communities and religions," Radev said. He added that during World War II, Bulgaria "saved its entire Jewish community from the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and gave Europe a moral lesson that should never be forgotten."

"I would like to call on foreign politicians, who were quick to condemn Bulgaria over the verbal altercation between a group of young people in Bansko, to familiarise themselves with the facts," Radev added. "We are ready to provide these facts in full," he said.

Radev called on all those visiting Bulgaria to abide by the country’s laws. He urged them to respect the dignity of Bulgarian citizens, private property, refrain from causing damage, keep within the bounds of decorum, without provoking others through their behaviour.

On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said it had opened an inquiry into the incident involving a verbal confrontation between Bulgarian and Italian youths outside a hotel in Bansko. The case has been referred to the competent prosecutor's office. All those involved have been identified, and the ministry said it had established that the Bulgarian youths were minors.