site.btaSix Indicted For Hooliganism over February Protest Outside EU Commission Office in Sofia

The Sofia Regional Prosecution Office has filed an indictment in connection with a hooliganism case during an unauthorized protest on February 22, Deputy Regional Prosecutor Atanas Dotsinski told a news briefing.

Dotsinski explained that the protest, organized without official permission, escalated into violence and resulted in acts of vandalism outside the office of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, as well as assault on officers from the Sofia Police Department.

Among the six individuals charged, one is a minor. According to prosecutors, adult offenders face up to five years in prison, while the minor faces up to two years’ imprisonment. None have prior criminal records.

Responding to a reporter's question, Dotsinski said that none of the six persons has parliamentary immunity.

On February 22, the Vazrazhdane party led a protest in opposition to Bulgaria's planned adoption of the euro. Protesters threw red paint, eggs, and fireworks at the building housing the European Commission’s representation in Sofia and set its entrance door on fire. Ten police officers were injured during the demonstration.

On February 27, acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov submitted a formal request to Parliament to lift the immunity of four Vazrazhdane MPs so that they could face charges for “hooliganism marked by exceptional audacity.” That request remains unaddressed to this day.