Protests in Asenovgrad Continue

The protests against the violence in Asenovgrad will continue, reported bTV.

The problems in Assenovgrad started on 26 June when a group of roma attacked children who are trained in the local kayaking club at the dam of 40 Springs. The conflict continued with a beating of the athletes in the center of the town and outside the hospital in which rowers and their coach were injured.

Thousands of people gathered in the city last night for a miting against the violence. The protest  passed through the streets of the city, guarded by the police.

Despite the authorities' assurance that the problem with gypsy ghettoes and illegal houses in Asenovgrad will be definitively solved, for now there are no visible results and political will, Yordan Todorov, member of the committee of protesting people in the city, said.

The committee presented a list of demands to the Parliament and will present it to some ministries as well. A meeting with authorities will be held. For now, however, there are only empty promises, according to Todorov.

They want the relocation of newly arrived Roma, allegedly about 5,300 people, according to Focus News Agency.

The protest passed without any problems this time, only in the last minutes there was a slight strain because some small groups representing the Russians and Orthodox patriots wanted to lead the procession.

''If the demands of people protesting in Asenovgrad are not fulfilled at today's meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov, the protests will continue'', a spokesman for the protesters said.