Injuries, arrests as Ataka, Muslims clash outside Sofia mosque

[Onur]

Last week, it was Greeks, this week, it`s the Bulgarians;

Ataka activist put on fire prayer rugs; 11 injured in the clash

Stones and eggs were thrown against the Muslims, they received them with applause

A rally of far rightist party Ataka turned into bloodbath. The followers of Volden Siderov turned the pretended peaceful protest against the speakers of the mosque into real fight in which 11 persons were injured.




The protest was scheduled for 13:00 in front of Banya Bashi mosque in downtown Sofia. However, half an hour earlier the small square before the mosque was packed with people shouting "Turks go out!" Prayers from the mosque paid no attention to the nationalists until one of them as if accidentally passing by the men preparing for prayer kicked their prayer rugs. One of the Muslims headed against the 'pedestrian' but police officers quickly separated them. Meanwhile an Ataka activist was trying to play patriotic music on the loudspeakers. "Let's accept this situation as trial of Allah," the imam appealed while an Ataka activist was cutting a fez with a knife. The nationalists started throwing stones and eggs against the Muslims. Five police officers were injured during the clash. After they were carried to the emergency the police arrested Ataka activist Georgi Kuzatrov, who provoked the conflict. This made Ataka followers mad and they started beating the prayers.




At that time Volen Siderov, Ataka's leader arrived on the square. Jumping from the car, he rushed towards the policemen shouting to release his people. "You are janissary! Shame to you for defending the bandits. This is a shameful day for the Bulgarian police, let my people go," Siderov shouted to the police.

The ultra-nationalists threw another volley of eggs and stones onto the heads of the Muslims. They responded with applause to the attack. However, some of them sustained injuries on the heads and were taken in ambulances to hospitals.




Allah is great, do not fight back, some of the Muslims shouted, covering their heads with shoes. The ultra-nationalists grasped one of the prayer mats and set it on fire.



Nadia Pankova
20. May 2011

http://paper.standartnews.com/en/art...&article=36331

[Louis Riel]

Thick headed motherfuckers still havent learned anything hey?After the defeat of their fascist forefathers you'd think they wouldve got the message....i guess they enjoy getting burnt.

YouTube - ‪Woody Guthrie~ All You Fascists Bound To Lose‬‏

[Onur]

YouTube - ‪KIRCAALİBUGÜN - Far-rights attack Muslims in Sofia.flv‬‏

[George S.]

Obviously they can't live with anyone who is diffrent to themselves.So hatred springs from within & onto these people who practice another religion islam.This is going on iall over europe .Religious intolerance.

[Onur]

Yes but what`s the fuss with tearing down fez and shouting to the police who stands between them and the Turks as "Janissary"??? No one wears fez for more than a century and there is no Janissary for about 200 years.


The leader of ATAKA is a candidate for the presidency and apparently this stupid rhetoric brings him more votes in Bulgaria. It`s so absurd that Turkish bugaboo still a favorite issue to abuse for more than a century, to get more votes in Balkans.

Btw, i just read that the leader of ATAKA started a fist fight with an another MP, an ethnic Turk while they were on air in a live show;

Bulgarian Radio Host Blames Nationalist for Brawl on Air

The fist fight that broke Sunday during the popular political talk show Nedelya 150 of the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, which is aired live, is a disgrace for Bulgarian politics.

The statement was made Monday by the host of Nedelya 150, Velichko Konakchiev, who spoke in an interview for the TV channel Nova Televizia.

On Sunday, Konakchiev was forced to interrupt the show after the leader of the Bulgarian far-right, nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov and Korman Ismailov, Member of Parliament, who was recently expelled from the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, for his opposition to the leader Ahmed Dogan, started a physical fight while on air.

Siderov denies reports about the fight.

Konakchiev explained the Nationalist refused to let Ismailov speak, kept pounding him with questions, without waiting for answers, turning more and more aggressive and finally starting the fight.

"We had a hard time separating them. I have no idea to what extend Bulgarian politicians plan, make scenarios, and direct such incidents with the goal of political gains, but the results are outrageous and a shame for Bulgarian politics," Konakchiev said.

The Chair of SEM (Council for Electronic Media), the body that monitors media in Bulgaria, Georgi Lozanov, said the incident in the radio studio was a violation of freedom of speech.

"The media has no quilt at all for what happened. It was a victim in this case. I want to remind people, particularly MPs, they must protect freedom of speech. There is no freedom of speech if they gave up speech and resorted to fists. If Siderov triggered the fight, he must apologize to BNR," Lozanov said.

May 23, 2011

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=128524

[Onur]

It looks like they will press charges to the few apprehended racists with only hooliganism. The prosecutor says that they "couldn't" gather enough evidence for more serious charges!!! Whatta joke this is, and this is supposedly an EU country! Fck all

Bulgarian Helsinki Committee: Assault on Muslims 'Not Mere Hooliganism'

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee criticized the decision made by the country's Prosecutor's office to press hooliganism charges against supporters of the far right Ataka (Attack) party, who assaulted Muslims in Sofia during their Friday prayer.

"This is an inadequate decision. Friday's violence was not just a disruption of public order...it was a crime against citizens' rights. The victims of this racist crime are (Bulgarian) citizens and the state owns them justice," the committee declared Monday.

On Friday far-right extremists from the Ataka (Attack) party assaulted praying Muslims. The outburst occurred while the nationalists led by their leader Volen Siderov staged a rally near the Banya Bashi mosque in downtown Sofia protesting against the use of loudspeakers by the mosque. Several people ended up injured and several Ataka supporters were apprehended by the police.

On Monday, The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee welcomed the intention expressed by Sofia's Chief Prosecutor to demand the banning of the Ataka formation and press charges against Ataka supporters for preaching racial hatred.

"We cannot imagine how the Prosecutor's Office could fail to gather evidence, having in mind the number of hateful statements by Ataka's leader and his associates," the committee said.

May 23, 2011

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=128540

Greeks will come to Blacksea for a praying ritual in a church next month. I wonder if we would crack their heads by throwing stones in the church, then what would happen? Ofc there cannot be such a thing in Turkey but what would EU says if such a thing happens?

[Christoff]

Onur,

I guess Greece is not the exclusive home of all the eshol-esheks in the region. There seems to be a few in Bulgaria as well. Ha!

[George S.]

It's all the more not to join the racist eu.

[Onur]

Onur,

I guess Greece is not the exclusive home of all the eshol-esheks in the region. There seems to be a few in Bulgaria as well. Ha!

Well, we knew them as bears but yes, it seems there are some esheks in Bulgaria too.

But how you know the term esholu-esheks? Where are you from?