site.btaOver Ten Arrested After Masked Men Clash With Police in Central Sofia amid Large Protest
Masked individuals vandalized municipal property, attacked police with bottles and stones, and set trash bins on fire on Monday night after a peaceful protest against the government's budget plans. More than ten people were detained, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior told BTA.
One police officer sustained a broken leg and another was taken to hospital after people with face masks hurled bottles at the police and toppled garbage containers. Some individuals were seen smashing objects and throwing various items, including a traffic sign, at police as bangs from firecrackers echoed through the area.
In front of the headquarters of MRF - New Beginning, groups of masked individuals threw plastic and glass bottles, firecrackers, stones, and other objects at the building and the officers guarding it. Trash bins and other items burned on the street.
Earlier, Continue the Change warned on social media that groups of provocateurs had moved toward the MRF -New Beginning headquarters.
After the barrage of objects intensified, police pushed the crowd back. The security presence around the party headquarters increased and ambulances arrived on the scene.
According to Katya Sungarska, spokesperson for Sofia’s ambulance service, eight ambulances were dispatched with three more on standby. Several injured individuals were taken to hospitals with various injuries. Emergency teams also treated people on site, though Sungarska noted that some left the scene before receiving full care, straining limited medical resources.
Sungarska said that despite the disturbing scenes shown on television, the number of injured was not as high as the images suggest. She emphasized that the situation remains dynamic and that there are no reports of life-threatening injuries.
/NF/
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