Many claim that the rallies ended, the harsh reality is that the stigma associated with the Roma still exist, and were exacerbated because of these attacks and protests. It is good to know that while there were many anti-Roma protests all over Bulgaria, there were also protests in support of the Roma all over the world.
You would think that by now, our current generations would know just how dangerous discrimination and revenge killings can be, but I guess ethnic genocides and holocausts aren’t big enough lessons.
Taken from: http://en.rian.ru/world/20111002/167309906.html
October 2, 2011
An anti-Roma rally which organizers claimed would be the largest ever in Bulgaria, ended peacefully in the country’s capital Sofia. The rally began on Saturday at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and lasted for some two hours. Police said some 3,000 people took part, chanting anti-government and anti-Roma slogans.
Members of the Roma community in Bulgaria said on Friday they took the forthcoming event seriously and were prepared to defend themselves.
Bulgaria was hit by small-scale but vigorous anti-Roma rallies after the death of 19-year-old Angel Petrov in the village of Katunitsa in Central Bulgaria last Friday. Petrov was reportedly knocked over and killed by a minibus driven by a relative of a Roma clan leader Kirill Rashkov. Thousands of protesters – including nationalists and skinheads – rallied in Plovdiv, Varna, Sofia, Pleven, Burgas and other cities shortly after. Hundreds of people, armed with knives, baseball bats and sticks were detained.
