Commentary by Milen Ivanov and Philip Gunev
The former vice-rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Milen Ivanov, and the former deputy-minister of internal affairs, Filip Gunev, commented on the air of “Hello, Bulgaria” about the disturbances during last night’s protest of football fans in Sofia.
“The police were put in a situation of being hostage to the interests of the management of the Football Union. They must take responsibility for the blood of these policemen. Obviously, it was known that there would be such a risk, and the fact that they were not allowed in the stadium made the situation even more explosive,” explained Gunev.
“There was a mistake made in the planning of the protest actions themselves. The main impact and clash between the police and protesters takes place in the narrow streets around “Gurshto”, and not in Borisova gradina, where there are opportunities for maneuvering with forces and means by the police. It was strange that they allowed a protest to take place there,” Ivanov thinks.
PROTEST TENSION: Water cannons, clashes, injuries and arrests (OVERVIEW)
According to him, the police waited until they received orders, “Using a water cannon is a good tactical move. When they pour cold water on you, you start to think a little more soberly Counteracting group violations of public order is a very complex police operation. It requires a clear, firm management of an enormous amount of forces and resources”.
Watch the whole conversation in the video.
