Walls of Europe: Bulgarian army is building 30-km-long wall on Turkish border

[Johan]

24 October 2013 - 8:23pm

Today, Bulgaria began the construction of a 30-km-long wall at the Turkish border to strengthen control over the flow of refugees coming to Bulgaria from the Middle East.

"In accordance with the measures proposed by the Minister of Defence, Angel Naydenov, we are working on renovating roads in the area between the villages of Lesovo and Kraynovo on the border with Turkey. These measures are related to the construction of engineering structures," the press service of the Defense Ministry announced, ITAR TASS reports.
According to recent reports, today there are eight thousand refugees in Bulgaria, mostly from Syria

http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/46773.html

[Johan]

Updating: 15:41, 06 November 2013 Wednesday

Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights says Bulgaria must find better ideas than fencing its borders against refugees.

The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muizniesk warned Bulgaria against closing its borders with fences, saying it would not be a "good idea."

Fencing against refugees or suspected illegal immigrants would not be appropriate with Bulgaria's obligations according to its commitments to the EU, Muizniesk told BNT television during an interview.

"In its policy towards refugees, Bulgaria must not forget its international obligations under signed conventions. The country cannot close its borders with Turkey, or any other neighbor," Muizniesk said.

He urged Bulgarian authorities to find wiser solutions by saying, "Fences are ineffective and too expensive. People will find ways to get around them, and this will be even more dangerous. Instead it would be much wiser to use the money to improve conditions in reception centers and integration policies."

The Bulgarian wire fence, which aims to prevent illegal entrances along its Turkish border, will reportedly be completed at the end of February 2014.

The Bulgarian government, besides fencing the borders, has also decided to keep close watch on refugees or suspected illegals in the country in closed accommodation centers.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=...ticleID=122298



Ethnic Turks in Bulgaria object against border fencing
Wirefencing to prevent illegal passages along Bulgaria's border with Turkey continues despite objections by ethnic Turks

09:32, 06 November 2013 Wednesday



Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), a political party mainly supported by citizens of Turkish origin in Bulgaria, opposed to Bulgarian wire fence which aims to prevent illegal passages along Turkish border.

During a meeting in Brussels with Guy Verhofshtat, the leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in EU Parliament, MRF Chairman Lutvi Mestan said that the party was against any closure of Turkish border or wirefencing along the border.

Mestan also said that Bulgaria should fulfill the requirement of the UN Refugee Convention, and should be supported by the European countries.

Building of a 30-kilometer wire fence at Elhovo region along Bulgarian-Turkish border is underway, according to a decision by Bulgarian government approved on October 16.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=...ticleID=122258

Protest Against Planned Refugee Shelter in Bulgaria' Telish Continues

November 6, 2013, Wednesday // 21:36

Residents of Bulgarian village Telish intend to block the road and railway from Sofia to Ruse as a sign of protest against a possible opening of a refugee shelter.

People living in the north-western Bulgarian village of Telish vow to block the Sofia – Ruse road and railway on Sunday in order to demonstrate their strong opposition against a plan for the opening of a shelter for refugees in the village, informs bTV.

More than 1000 people have signed a petition against an eventual accommodation of refugees in Telish, reports bTV.

Even though Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev has met with residents of Telish on Tuesday and reassured them that the proposed refugee shelter won't pose a threat to them, local people continue to oppose the government's plan to open a shelter of a closed type in an ex-military base in the village.

Local residents have built a barricade that blocks a small local road from the village to the former military base in order to prevent any further work on transforming part of the base's building into a camp for housing of refugees.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/155...lish+Continues

[Dimitar]

Apart from the huge 2 million gypsy-turk problem, now we got about 10 000 mudslims - pakis, iraqis, syrians, north africans, afgans - all under the umbrella - "poor syrian refugees".
They are all located in Sofia, a year ago a friend from Finland, who visited Sofia, said he liked it because there were no non white bands chasing the locals.

This country is a filth and it will be either destroyed and become Gyppo-Muslim caliphate or it will be rebuild again.

All those "poor refugees" (along with our Gypsies) main goal is to get to the rich Northern European countries, where they will be living off the welfare system.

[Johan]

November 8, 2013, Friday // 14:33

Residents of Bulgarian village Telish vow to take ‘extreme actions’ in order to reach their goal - cancellation of the plan for a refugee shelter in the village.

People are ready to ‘go to the extremes’ and do whatever it takes in order to prevent the opening of a refugee camp in the village a representative of the protesters said in front of bTV.

Current unrest in Telish was caused by the announced Bulgarian government ‘ plan for the opening of a refugee shelter of a closed type in an ex-military base in the village.

Refugees should be accommodated in non-residential areas, far from populated settlements and in isolation, according to a representative of the protesting people, reports bTV.

Protesters vow to continue until ‘victory’ – i.e. an official decision by the government to cease any work on the proposed shelter, informs bTV.

Local people have built a barricade that blocks a small local road from Telish to the former military base, in order to prevent work on transforming part of the base's building into a camp for housing of refugees.



Protests against Bulgarian Government's decision to open a refugee shelter in Telish have been going on for 5 consecutive days in the village. Photo archive file by bgdnes.bg

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=155356

[Johan]

Bulgaria deports 100 illegal immigrants

Mon Nov 11, 2013 10:53AM GMT

Bulgaria has deported nearly 100 immigrants at its border with Turkey as the poorest country of the European Union grapples with a sharp rise in the number of refugees from non-EU states.


Speaking on Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday, the secretary general of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry Svetlozar Lazarov said the group of immigrants was stopped in the Strandzha mountains, where 1,200 police officers have been deployed since November 8.

“We inhibited entrance of 77 people to Bulgaria, also observing 9 other people. Nine people were detained by Turkey through Bulgaria’s informing. We are waiting for Turkey to pick up 40 illegal immigrants right now,” Lazarov said.

He also pledged to speed up expulsions of migrants and prevent all illegal immigration on Bulgaria’s borders.

With an influx of some 8,800 people, mostly Syrians, so far in 2013, Bulgarian authorities have had to cope with refugee issues such as accommodation.

Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev has said that the number of refugees to Bulgaria is well above the country’s annual capacity of 5,000, and that the problem should be tackled as soon as possible.

A recent poll by Alpha Research has found that Bulgaria’s refugee crisis is also fanning nationalist tensions in the country.

A new nationalist party, which was founded by extremist groups earlier this week, said it aims to “clean up the country of this scum, these immigrants.”

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/11...al-immigrants/

(Bulgaria has closed its border with Turkey for illegal immigrants overnight Sunday into Monday by sending an additional 1 166 policemen to guard it.)
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=155426

[Johan]

Originally Posted by Dimitar

All those "poor refugees" (along with our Gypsies) main goal is to get to the rich Northern European countries, where they will be living off the welfare system.

Dutch media also in panic about Bulgarian immigrants

09:28 05.11.2013 by SatndartNews



According to official statistics, the number of Bulgarians in the Netherlands is 19,500. NGO estimates, however, count with approximately 40,000 of them. This is expected to significantly increase after the removal of the restrictions for the employment of Bulgarians from January 1 2014 in the land of the tulips. The Dutch have been always fighting against the water and now their media threatens with a new flow: that of the Bulgarian and Romanian migrants, Standart daily reports. The British colleagues of the Dutch journalists already managed to start a public hysteria about the influx of Bulgarians in the UK after New Year.

Scattered throughout the country, Bulgarians have come to the Netherlands in search of better living conditions. "The majority of them succeeded. The most of them are Bulgarian academics, workers of international organizations, university professors, lawyers, engineers, doctors and businessmen with a strong contribution to the success of the Dutch economy" said a diplomat , speaking on anonymity. These successful Bulgarians did not make an impression on the Dutch media. However, each incident with a Bulgarian is given a wide publicity.

Two months before the opening of the Dutch labor market to Bulgarians and Romanians, the local media is in an alert mode about a Bulgarian- Romanian tide. TV stations and newspapers that are trusted by the Dutch broadcast reports about Bulgaria, mainly about the rising crime rates, a bus station in Sofia showing Bulgarians departing abroad to earn money or investigations about how Bulgaria has lost money on unrealized European projects, Standart's Dutch reporter writes.

Fears of the Bulgarian market competition are also shaking the local politicians. Nationalists have called for a "code orange" and new Dutch King Willem - Alexander announced the end of the welfare state. In a statement that shocked his subjects, he said that to rely on support from the state is a remnant of the 20th century.

The basis of the fears is a bitter experience with the Poles. " Years ago, when the Dutch opened their labor markets for Polish workers, the government 20,000 of them to seek work. However, instead, some 300,000 of them arrived" a Bulgarian diplomat commented. The situation found the Dutch system unprepared for such an influx. and created problems.

"Before their invasion, media warned us, but politicians ignored. We were naïve and the whole situation has led to a lost trust in the politicians" says Arno van Herde, who works in the municipality of The Hague. The main concerns of the Dutch are related to the use of their social benefits and the occupation of workplaces. "I worry about the consequences of a possible wave of immigration, because these foreigners have to live somewhere. The imports of workers also changes the urban environment. New clusters of neighborhoods and shops appear. Nobody questions the open labor market. There are rather fears that newcomers will not integrate and will live in a divided society with distinct communities" Arno adds.

The question of a possible new wave is mainly dealt with by the politicians and the media. In the everyday life, the ordinary Dutchmen is more concerned about finding a place to park the bike than to think about the new competition.

"I would not say there is panic. The issue of the Bulgarian workers is mostly about politics" says Henk Hakstrand who is a scientist and lives in Leiden.

From January 1, 2014 Brussels removed the barrier to the Bulgarians and Romanians to work freely in Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Britain, the Netherlands and Malta.

http://www.standartnews.com/english/...ants-1286.html

[Johan]

Added on November 12, 2013 04:25 pm

Romania and Bulgaria will not enter the Schengen area in 2014, European Commission president Jose Manual Barroso recently said to French TV station LCI.

“Romania and Bulgaria will not enter the Schengen area because there are countries that are against,” said the EC president.

Romanian President Traian Basescu stated earlier today (November 12) that the EC president didn’t said that Romania will not enter the Schengen area in 2014, but that it will not enter on January 1, 2014,” according to Mediafax.

He added that Romania and Bulgaria’s entry in the zone depends a lot on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (MCV) report.

In September this year, in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio, Barroso said that Romania and Bulgaria have met the criteria for Schengen area membership and should be given a chance to enter the zone as soon as possible.

Romania and Bulgaria have been awaiting to join the Schengen area, after seven years of transition since entering the EU.

Both countries have been refused access into the Schengen area in the last few years, with several countries taking turns in opposing it.

http://www.romania-insider.com/jose-...n-2014/109352/

[Johan]

Wealthy terrorists now occupy Bulgarian territory in Strandja - buy houses for cash, 3 villages have been identified

November 17, 2013, Sunday | Posted by Magdalena Tasheva



Money for the purchase of the villages along the border with Turkey come from Qatar and Saudi Arabia via Western Union, Money Gram and Easy Pay, in Mustafapaşa never able to give them paid.

3 villages of territorial administrative system of Bulgaria is about to become a fortress of Arab terrorists and their large families in Strandja, reports samovideo.com. This confirmed the inhabitants of the villages Sladun, Mustrak and admiral, located on the border with Turkey, which has so far had no Muslim population. All these immigrants from Turkey have acquired the status of "refugees" or humanitarian status (which entitles them to bring their families or any crowd of people, presenting them to his family, and after 5 years to take all Bulgarian passport).

"We are being offered at $ 3,000 per house, we have only one habitable room, others do not need it, you sell it. He has a wife and 3 children, gentle and understanding are, "explained front of us farmer from the village of Mustrak.

The situation is similar in other neighboring villages, where almost every door has obituary padlock and rusty frames fence. Wealthy visitors from the Middle East receive $ 8,500 together, showed check samovideo.com.

The system EasyPay, Western Union and Money Gram are most similar transfers from Syria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Sources are different, because the aliens themselves from the troubled country and those around her, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt are from different ethnic groups, tribes and groups.

Difficulty of banks Mustafapaşa, Pet and Harmanly is to have cash to pay them a "refugee."

Also organized and became the transportation of those people and families who can hardly determine which side they come from. So between Kurds, Iraqis and Syrians shuffle and Algerians and Libyans in appearance, language and religion differ from the Syrians.

Rent, this is the other magic word that ointment ear retired from Mustrak, Sladun and admiral. With this option, you take a hand in 800 lev, and top and said Zivko Zhelev, a manufacturer of tobacco, which produces 350 tons of this raw material.

In downtown Tumba Arabs go through meters of those black Africans who do seek passage to France and Germany, where he had friends and relatives.

http://translate.google.nl/translate...F11%2F42585%2F

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Telly people blocked the main road Sofia-Pleven

17 November 2013 12:54, Galina Vasileva

Protest against the resettlement unit in near the village



The main road Sofia-Pleven today was closed for about 30 minutes of protesting residents of Pleven village Telish. This was announced by the regional spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Pleven Mariana Tsvetkov.

Car traffic was suspended between 10.50 am and 20.11 pm, she said. There was a heavy police presence. The protest passed without incident.

The chairman of the nomination committee for the protests in the village Shkodrov Marin said the road have come between 150-250 people who continue to insist equipment refugee camp, making the former military base to be moved outside the division.

Shkodrov said that village residents have not received a response to its questions, which are addressed to governments. According Shkodrov people are worried that the unit near the village will be accommodated in the closed camp 4000 people. We are not against refugees, but we believe that such camps should be outside the settlements, and refugees in them have to be in smaller groups was adamant Shkodrov. It is dangerous to be so many thousands to a place among them can have dangerous elements Shkodrov said.

According to him, the protesters village Telish will await response from the Government by 20 November / Wednesday /, and then decide what will be their next actions.

http://translate.google.nl/translate...206430&act=url

[Johan]

November 17, 2013 13:19

Over a hundred nationalists erupted outside the courthouse in Pernik with demands in the area should not be accepted refugees reporter zaPernik.com. The protest is stretched banner of "national resistance in Bulgaria." There nationalists from Sofia. The crowd shouts: "Bulgaria for the Bulgarians" and "refugees out." Any banners.



Leading the protest began chanting his megaphone with an oath and ending with "Liberty or Death".

According to organizers, the protest will be peaceful, civil disobedience is, then threatened to get better as they know it.

The protest went through the street "Commercial" singing the national anthem. People join the protesters. Spectators watch from the balconies. Nationalists turned to the building of the regional administration in Pernik.

We will defy illegal scum that try to put our lands. This is our land, this is the land of Asparukh This is Bulgaria "vowed by Nationalist Party of Bulgaria.



"We will not allow to have illegal immigrants in the region of Pernik, as they are wounded in Kovachevtsi. Pernik region is willing to accept immigrants, and said the governor, but we are not ready, told protesters, "said Tsvetomir Yordanov of national resistance.

"Pernik ruled the country years ago, now looks like a ghost Pernik said Peter Gerber protest, which was also there.

17-year-old nationalist from Sofia to Pernik said:

"Bulgaria should not stand, food, and keep illegal immigrants carriers of disease in our territory. And potential. Why pay money for Bulgarians working in that country, and give millions to feed the alien objects that are a threat to safety and health of those injured Bulgarian citizens can barely make ends meet?

Arrival and resettlement of more criminals granted refugee status will be a big problem. I, as a young man with nationalist views that will go to study and work in this country, rather than flee abroad, ignoring the national debt are against strengthening balgarofobskata policy growing demographics crisis. To say no to the settlement of refugees in Pernik. "

ZaPernik.com: Проте�т против за�елването на бежанците в пернишко - 2 - YouTube

ZaPernik.com: Проте�т против за�елването на бежанците в пернишко - 2 - YouTube

More http://translate.google.nl/translate...ernik_27477%2F

[Johan]

Amnesty calls Bulgaria refugee camp ‘inhumane’

November 20, 2013 12:10 AM

SOFIA: Amnesty International criticized the “inhumane conditions” at an overcrowded Bulgarian refugee camp Tuesday as more than 100 asylum-seekers, many fleeing the conflict in Syria, started a hunger strike in protest.

“We witnessed the deplorable conditions where some 1,000 asylum-seekers are being held in metal containers, tents and a dilapidated building of a former military complex,” Amnesty researcher Barbora Cernusankova said after visiting the Harmanli camp in southeastern Bulgaria.

Food was scarce and the entire camp had just three toilets and eight showers, the rights group added, calling for “urgent action” from Bulgarian authorities to improve living conditions.

A total of 1,130 people have been crammed into the camp, which has a capacity of 400 people.

“It is appalling that people seeking refuge in the European Union are being trapped in limbo in such awful conditions with winter rapidly approaching,” Cernusankova said. “They must be given immediate access to proper asylum procedures and the Bulgarian authorities must ensure they have access to basic necessities such as proper food, shelter and sanitation.”

More than 100 Syrian and Afghan immigrants at Harmanli started a hunger strike Tuesday in order to protest their living conditions and slow asylum procedures.

Bulgaria, the European Union’s poorest country, was grossly unprepared to welcome the more than 10,000 immigrants who have crossed over illegally from Turkey this year.

To curb the influx, authorities have started turning refugees back at the border and vowed to speed up expulsions of economic immigrants in order to reduce overcrowding at shelters and accelerate asylum procedures.

“The Bulgarian asylum system has a burgeoning crisis with a backlog of applications – the authorities must act fast to ensure they don’t have a humanitarian crisis on their hands too,” Amnesty said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Mid...-inhumane.ashx

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100 Syrians go on hunger strike due to bad circumstances in BG camps

06:08 20.11.2013



Dozens of men, women and children in the Bulgarian refugee camp in Harmanli chose the means of the hunger strike as a protest against the chronic malnutrition and slow procedures for obtaining a refugee status, Standart daily reports.

The rebellion against the poor living conditions has gathered more than 100 people from different nationalities.

"You can not say that we are on a hunger strike because of the fact we are constantly hungry. We are lacking food and they would not let us to buy some. We have no medicine. It is cold in the camp and our children suffer" Syrian woman Dzhavziya Saifaydani complains.

This is the second protest in the refugee camp.

While they join in protest against hunger and poverty, the camp's inhabitants of different nationalities defend their interests and communities rigorously. Illegals from Afghanistan criticized the Bulgarian authorities that they give advantage to people from Syria. They are complaining that their wives are in a panic because the majority of Syrians constantly warn them to be careful saying that the camp is " theirs ."

" The procedure of obtaining the refugee status can not happen overnight, however nuch it would wished to be so by some" camp director Zhelyu Zhelev commented in response to the rebellion.

Harmanli houses 1,176 people in tents and caravans. Of these, 1,030 are Syrians.

http://www.standartnews.com/english/...amps-1553.html

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Commission: Refugee push-backs are illegal

Published 19 November 2013, updated 20 November 2013

The European Commission indirectly warned Greece and Bulgaria today (19 November) to stop turning down Syrian refugees at their borders with Turkey, after the UN issued a similar call just a few days before.

Bulgarian authorities have reportedly bragged of turning down refugees at the border.

According to the government website, Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev, who is also deputy prime minister, has said that in just one day more than 100 persons, and previously more than 150, were from entering the country. Hundreds of policemen have been sent to the Bulgarian border with Turkey to push back prospective immigrants.

The impoverished country is struggling to deal with the some 7,000 refugees from Syria already on its soil, with more and more still managing to arrive.

Both Greece and Bulgaria have begun the construction of fences on their borders with Turkey. Greece has erected a 12.5km wall at a critical section of the Greece-Turkish border near the town of Orestiada, while Bulgaria has announced plan to build a similar, 30-km fence near the town of Elhovo.

Michele Cercone, spokesperson for home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmström, told EurActiv that pushing back asylum seekers was against EU and international law.

“Push-backs are simply not allowed. They are not in line with EU and international obligations. Member states cannot, shall not and should not carry out any push-back,” he said.

Asked how laws against push-backs were consistent with the fact that several member states had erected walls or fences at their borders, Cercone conceded that EU countries were free to decide their own border protection measures.

“This is of course their choice. But we have always said that walls do not solve problems. What solves problems is a consistent structural management of migratory and asylum seekers’ flows,” Cercone said.

He explained that this was implying that member states should be able to manage these flows in full respect of fundamental rights and international and European obligations.

“Nobody coming or arriving to the EU territory and asking for asylum can be pushed back or can be denied this possibility,” he said, adding that this stemmed from the core values on which the EU was built.

Asked if the Commission had any particular message for Bulgaria and Greece, Cercone said this was a message to all member states.

The UNHCR is to visit Bulgaria on Friday, accompanied by Bulgarian EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, who is responsible for humanitarian aid and crisis response.

http://www.euractiv.com/justice/comm...il-news-531791

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55 illegal immigrants detained at Bulgaria-Turkey border

20 November 2013 | 11:08

Elhovo. Some 55 illegal immigrants have been detained at the Bulgarian-Turkish border over the past twenty-four hours, the press office of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced.
According to the national operative headquarters, a total of 55 people were detained at the Bulgarian-Turkish border from 6 a.m. on November 19 until 6 a.m. on November 20, 2013, some 14 of whom were Syrian citizens.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n319052

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Jews help Syria’s innocent victims in Bulgaria

November 19, 2013, 3:49 am

Former pop musician Yank Barry is teaming up with celeb boxers, aiming to knock out hunger and homelessness among Syrian refugees, while Jewish group Shalom offers medical care

More ; http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-...t-in-bulgaria/

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Today’s sitting of Bulgaria’s CCNS is late: expert

20 November 2013 | 10:44

Sofia. “Sitting of Bulgaria’s Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) is late, it will be held just now - when the refugee issue has already escalated,” said General Chavdar Chervenkov, former head of the foreign intelligence of Bulgaria and former minister of interior, speaking for Radio FOCUS.
In his words, there are two positions on the summoning of the Consultative Council on National Security.
“The first one was that there is no need of holding such a sitting because the major responsibility for solving the issue falls upon the executive power and the Security Council with the Council of Ministers can make a decision without calling the Consultative Council on National Security,” General Chervenkov said.
However, Mr Chervenkov supported the other position – that the President should have called a sitting of the Council two or three months ago, when the parameters of the crisis were already seen.
“Since it is obvious that there is a need of an evaluation and unpopular measures, it would have been better if this was done within such a format – among the leaders of the political parties, including representatives of the executive power, so as to secure support for the executive power when it sets to the realisation of these unpopular measures. Speaking of unpopular measures, I mean that the major problem now concerns the refugees,” General Chervenkov said further.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n319050

[Johan]

Bulgarian Roma Muster Self-Defense Teams in Answer to Far-Right Militias

November 21, 2013, Thursday // 18:02

A Roma organization in Bulgaria has created a platform for self-defense groups in response to reports of far-right vigilante patrols roaming the streats of Bulgarian capital Sofia.

The platform is called Organization of Minorities for Defense against Violence *(OMON), and has been created by the National Center for the Development of Roma in Bulgaria, reports Dnevnik.bg.

Last week far-right nationalist Bulgarian National Union leader Boyan Rasate announced the creation of militias, allegedly to secure the peace of Sofia residents.

Rasate denied any racist motivations behind the move. At the same time, in the past weeks, there has been an increased number of cases of violence against immigrants and Bulgarians of minority ethnicity.

Dnevnik.bg reports that the Roma Center plans involves "safeguarding Roma neighborhoods and places where public order is being disturbed."

Center director Petko Asenov said that he has talked to Sofia police head Ivaylo Spiridonov and Vice-Chief Prosecutor Asya Petrova regarding rising tensions.

He added that the platform is intended to include Roma people from across Bulgaria.

Increased tensions and an apparent stirring up of the far-right - including the founding of a new, Neo-Nazi-like party - led to an antifascist rally in Bulgarian capital Sofia last Sunday.

At the same time, activists warned that a planned new law regarding the Bulgarian police could pave the way to formalizing the vigilante militias.


People said to be part of far-right vigilante groups were to be seen in the Sofia city center last week. Photo by chr.bg

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=155759

*"OMON is an organization of minority defense of violence. OMON do now in Sofia. We will make structures in Vidin, Montana and across the country. If you will be a fight, but they are not allowed to go against us so. We invite the leader of the organization's famous rum Tashko Tanev, coach Judo and Sambo. Roma will be invited from across the country - former commando, military, police - to participate in the organization. The aim is to counter the henchmen of race. It told Nova TV Petko Asenov, one of the founders of the OMON.

http://translate.google.nl/translate...nie%2F&act=url

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From Telish send a statement against the refugee camp to Oresharsky

22/11/2013 18:15

Protesters from Pleven village Telish already two weeks to rebel against the establishment of refugee camps in the former military base in the village have adopted a declaration which will send to the Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and the Ombudsman. This was announced by Nelly Dakova - mayor of the village.

The document was adopted at today's rally in the village center. It is supported by a petition signed by about 3500, a decision of the Municipal Council of Red Bank to support the population of applicants and a further five statements by NGOs and associations.

In the declaration, we will send on Monday (25 November) express their arguments why not to build refugee camps in settlements across the country, said the mayor of producers. We are not against these people, but we are convinced that he is able to camps to be turned aside by army units outside settlements Dakova added.

According to her official responses to their demands to annul the judgment former military unit to become camp have not been received to date. So residents Telish continue with their actions, said Dakova. She said that peaceful protest rallies every before noon in the center will continue on Saturday and Sunday.

Hour blockade of the approaches to the division also maintained to prevent the supply of equipment for the camp, said in conclusion Dakova.

http://translate.google.nl/translate...0.html&act=url

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Shalom Organisation of Jews in Bulgaria concerned by worsening xenophobia, racism in Bulgarian society

Written by The Sofia Globe staff on November 19, 2013

The Shalom Organisation of the Jews in Bulgaria has expressed concern at the strengthening of xenophobia, racism and extreme nationalism in Bulgarian society.

The statement by the Jewish organisation came against a background of xenophobic and ultra-nationalist sentiments being stoked by some political forces and sections of the media, in turn against a background of a sharp increase of illegal migration into the country from the Middle East and North Africa. Statements by ultra-nationalists at anti-migrant rallies have led prosecutors to open pre-trial investigations against a number of individuals for alleged hate speech.

Further controversy has been stirred by ultra-nationalist groups organising “civil patrols” in central parts of Sofia, near the landmark Banya Bashi mosque and accommodation where migrants have tended to congregate in recent weeks. This area previously was boasted of as a symbol of tolerance in the Bulgarian capital city because nearby houses of worship also include the Sofia Synagogue.

In turn, although Bulgaria was not included in the survey, a recent poll among Jews in a number of European countries by an EU agency found worsening anti-Semitism, and established that some Jews in those countries said that they avoided wearing symbols of the Judaic faith such as kippah (yamulkah) in public.

Shalom said that there was an increased number of anti-Semitic attacks, especially on the internet. It also expressed concern at the revival of political slogans and programmes from the fascist past of the country.

The main political parties had not clearly declared their position on these issues, which created additional tension in society and divided the nation, Shalom said.

Earlier in November, the office of the Chief Mufti, spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Muslims, responded to xenophobic attacks in the country by condemning acts of violence against people, regardless of religion and ethnicity, as unacceptable and deeply objectionable. The Chief Mufti’s office called on Muslims to be vigilant but not to respond to provocations.

On the “civil patrol” issue, Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova said that the municipality would not allow the formation of such patrols by representatives of nationalist organisations because these were contrary to Bulgarian legislation and the democratic rule of law.

Fandukova rejected claims by nationalist organisations that the municipality had received notifications of the establishment of such patrols.

The formation of private groups to take over the functions of the Interior Ministry was dangerous to public order and security in the country, Sofia’s mayor said.

But media reports and posts on social networks made it clear that “civil patrols” already were openly patrolling parts of Sofia. Participants appeared on national television giving interviews about their activities.

Boyan Rasate, of the “Union of Bulgarians – National Unity” group, seen on television in the company of groups of young men patrolling the streets, told reporters that the groups did not check identity documents (earlier reports and social networks posts depicted them as doing so, which is unlawful given that only police have the legal right to do so) and said that members of the patrols were carefully selected and would not provoke conflict.

Reporters from local media who accompanied one of Rasate’s patrols, of young men wearing armbands based on the Bulgarian national flag, said that at one point, two police on motorcycles had stopped the group, collected the “patrol’s” identity cards and recorded the data. The police warned the group to obey the law and not create problems, the report said. Challenged as to why the police did not prevent the group proceeding, the police were reported as saying that they could not be prevented from walking on a public street.

http://sofiaglobe.com/2013/11/19/sha...arian-society/

[Johan]

Defense Minister waiting project fence to limit on days

25.11.2013 09:37

The project for the fence on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey to be ready this week expected Defense Secretary Angel Naydenov.

Facility with a length of 33 km and a height of three meters will achieve two goals - to prevent the passage of illegal immigrants and will redirect them to the checkpoints, said the Minister to public television.

According to forecasts of the Prime Minister Oresharski from three weeks ago, the enclosure will be ready early in January . Words Naydenov denied the allegation of Interior Minister Tsvetlin Iovchev, that the facility is already under construction .

Defense Minister insisted on a statement of the amount of 258 million lev, "This is the total cost of the program for full integration of people who will receive refugee status. These are not spent money, "he assured.

He said the costs incurred to date are worth 8 million lev, including enclosures. "We need to outline the direction in which to look for solidarity within the EU, and therefore expect funds," said Angel Naydenov.

http://translate.googleusercontent.c...mbvu4ILsPsz4vw

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Sliven and Varna foot against resettlement

24.11.2013 13:59

Sliven and Varna foot against the ideas of refugees in cities.

Dozen protesters blocked the passage of Asparouhov bridge from the city center towards Burgas forward "Focus". Police previously secede movement nevertheless formed columns of cars in one direction.

Sliven protest organized by the party "Ataka" gathered around 200 people.

Some of the attendees were from areas that already have housed refugees, among them people of enormous Elhovo and others. The party leader Volen Siderov turned to the assembled calling to prevent so-called. it aliens and explained that the parliamentary group of the "attack" are submitting a proposal for the immediate expulsion of illegal immigrants, as well as physical enclosure of the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

The party organized a protest right in Sliven, because according siderov no evidence that this particular area will be accommodated refugees and "Attack" is presented exponent of the negative opinion of the locals.

According to a statement of municipal authorities and the district administration made earlier this week in military units in the merger will be set up refugee camps

http://translate.googleusercontent.c...i-51zNtnARV0SA

[Johan]

Bulgaria Deports 46 Iraqi Asylum Seekers

November 27, 2013, Wednesday // 16:43

Bulgaria has extradited 46 Iraqi immigrants earlier on Wednesday with a charter flight from Sofia.

The operation is part of the Interior Ministry's strategy to deal with the refugee situation, reports Mediapool.bg.

All of the deported Iraqis have been refused refugee status in Bulgaria. Among them were families with children.

The Bulgarian government revealed its plans to deport around 200 immigrants per month. Other measures include placing asylum seekers in closed reception centers.

Deputy Interior Minister Vasil Marinov released information on Wednesday, saying that 11 072 persons have illegally crossed into Bulgaria from Turkey during 2013. His predictions are that the number of those entering will drastically drop over the following months.

The government is also controversially building a fence on its border with Turkey, which will most likely be completed in February.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/155...Asylum+Seekers

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Municipality of Red Bank was not informed about the opening of a refugee camp in the village Telish

November 27, 2013 | 21:37 |

Pleven. In its statement against the placement of refugees in the village Telish voicing his disappointment and indignation of how the planned camp. It told agency "Focus" Petya Veselinova, a spokesman for the protest in the village producers. "First - are violated our constitutional rights as citizens under the Constitution because we have the right to be informed. The state previously had to carry out an information campaign to clarify things for us about what will happen here, "said Veselinova. "Second - surrounds is a whole community because the local authorities, in the face of the municipal council and the mayor of Red Bank, did not know about this camp. For us this is absolutely unacceptable, provided that the plan says 4,000 people. If these people are situated here, the municipality has huge debts to them, "she said. "From the statements of Mr. Chirpanliev, many people rejoiced, but it was an absolute dust in our eyes. Received unofficial information that on December 2, Tuesday in Telish will be brought 200 people, despite what said Mr. Chirpanliev "said Petya Veselinova. "After a thorough reflection on the plan, which was published, Mr. Chirpanliev not anyone to say anything because the SAR is not responsible for camp Telish. Camp in Telish meets MIA, and in particular the "Migration" to the Interior Ministry. SAR has no voice in this case, at least according to us, "she explained. Protests against Telish Pleven village of refugees continue. Angry residents are collected every day from 10:00 to Town Hall Square. Roadblock to the division remains nonstop, despite the weather. Protests pass peacefully and now unlikely to take another form.
Xenia PEEVA

http://translate.google.nl/translate...-s-telish.html

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Ministry of Defence is looking for a contractor to border fence

Thursday, November 21, 2013 18:18 Last modified on Monday, 25 November 2013 15:45

Ministry of Defence has ended with restoration activities 100 km of roads in Elhovo and next week will organize a visit to the media, they will be all ready 107 km.

The costs of these activities amounted to 600,000 Levs said Defense Minister Angel Naydenov press conference at the Ministry of Defense.

He added that it was prepared starting job designing wire facility with a height of ten meters, which will cost about 6 million lev "It had no electricity to run, nor will there patrols to shoot," stated the Minister. Facility will aims to impede the illegal border crossing and directs the flow immigrants to border crossing points.

http://translate.google.nl/translate...26Itemid%3D104

[Johan]

Bulgaria Rules Out Fencing Entire Border with Turkey

December 4, 2013, Wednesday // 14:22

Bulgaria’s Parliament rejected Wednesday a proposal to build a fence on the country’s entire border with Turkey in order to curb the influx of asylum-seekers.

The proposal was made by the ultranationalist Ataka (Attack) party and was backed by the opposition center-right GERB.

A total of 84 MPs voted in favor of the proposal, while 45 were against it and 69 abstained from voting.

Ataka’s controversial proposal to extradite all illegal immigrants from Bulgaria was also rejected.

Bulgaria is the gateway to the European Union for refugees fleeing Syria via Turkey, many crossing the border illegally. However, along with asylum seekers from Syria, a large number of people from North Africa and the Middle East have also arrived illegally through the southern border with Turkey.

In October, the country launched the construction of a 30 km-long wire fence on part of its border with Turkey.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/156...er+with+Turkey

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Bulgarian village to protest against refugee accommodation

04 December 2013 | 09:36 |

Telish. Residents of Bulgarian village Telish, located in Pleven District, will protest today against the accommodation of refugees in the village, Petya Veselinova, spokesperson of the protesters, announced the news for FOCUS News Agency.
She remarked she was informed if the governments had desisted from the idea of accommodating asylum seekers in the former village barracks despite the fact all Telish residents would like this [desisting] to happen.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n320151

[Johan]

Originally Posted by Alex Linder

The Bulgarian Golden Dawn: Nationalists Launch Attacks Against Syrian Refugees
By GIANLUCA MEZZOFIORE | January 8, 2014


Demonstration of the new Nationalist Party of Bulgaria outside city of Pernik
Georgi Kozhuharov

Bulgaria nationalist groups have launched civil patrols to round-up migrants in the country in a hate attack strategy that is reminiscent of Greece's neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group.

The Balkan country has seen a surge in xenophobic attacks since a wave of refugees escaping from the horrors of the civil war in Syria, 2,000 km south of the capital Sofia, has entered via the Turkish border.

From June 2013, more than 10,000 refugees reached Bulgaria and human rights organisations expect tens of thousands to make the journey in the coming months.

The surge of nationalist sentiment, which led to the creation of the new Nationalist Party of Bulgaria, is fuelled by the government's lack of preparation, information and adequate response to the refugee crisis, according to Ruslan Trad, Syrian-Bulgarian blogger and founder of Forum for Arab Culture.

"Lack of information leads to aggression and fears. And these fears are used by nationalist factions," he told IBTimes UK.

"We have no clear information for the refugees: who are they, what's their ethnic and religious composition. Many of the Syrian refugees are Kurds who are looking outside Turkey – in Germany, Greece, UK, Sweden, etc..."

Sleeping outdoors


Syrian refugee children sit on boxes with humanitarian aid before its distribution by volunteers of the Bulgarian Red Cross

The biggest camp for asylum-seekers is in the city of Harmanli, around 300 km from Sofia. The camp was slated to take in only 500 people but now has more than 2,000 living tents. Refugees have no electricity and water and have to cope with weather conditions that include snow and temperatures at -3 Celsius.

"Thanks to the actions of activists and local people, we have now deliveries of food and clothing, but not enough ovens - for example," Trad said. "We need more medics, medicaments, pills."

The poorest member of the 28-strong EU, Bulgaria has struggled to provide even the most elementary shelter to the Syrian refugees. Doctors without Borders warned of the "disastrous lack of medical assistance" as hundreds of Syrians have to sleep outdoors due to the lack of capacity.

"Recently, refugees protested after the death of a 35-year-old Syrian man who was not provided medical aid after complaining of chest pain," Trad wrote in a blog post for the Muftah website.

The Bulgarian Golden Dawn


Logo of the Nationalist Party of Bulgaria

Shaken by internal problems and protest, Bulgaria found itself unable to cope with the refugees and that boosted nationalists' hopes in the country.

In November, neo-Nazi factions such as the Formations National Resistance, the Bulgarian National-Radical party and the local branch of the international Blood and Honour skinhead network – banned in many countries – formed the Nationalist Party of Bulgaria with the aim of cleansing "Bulgaria from the foreign and alien immigrant scum that has been flooding the towns of Bulgaria".

The party established "civil patrols" to stop and check migrants. "There are similarities with the patrols, which started in the Golden Dawn in Greece a few years ago," said Ruslan Trad. "There is one part of the population think that these patrols are good decision."

Some activists maintained that the patrols were formed with the compliance of authorities and represent institutions' "abdication to right-wing faction".

Roma, Bulgaria's largest minority, has also formed patrols in their areas to protect their people from nationalist group. After the formation of the Nationalist Party, a 17-year-old Syrian refugee was stabbed near a refugee centre in Sofia. A wave of attacks around the capital followed, with an Iraqi-Bulgarian attacked in a shopping mall, a Malian boy beaten by a mob and a Cameroonian mother and child assaulted by a group of neo-Nazis.

New and old nationalism


A woman walks past election posters of Volen Siderov, leader of the Attack party, in Sofia

However, investigations around these incidents have produced no results amid fears that police might be complicit, Trad said.

The Bulgarian Golden Dawn has not the same support as its Greek counterpart but activists fear that the government's dithering attitude can quickly change the situation.

"We are witnessing a scandal with the biggest nationalist party here, Ataka, which is part of the ruling coalition," Trad says.

The ultra-nationalist and anti-EU leader of Ataka – which in Bulgarian means Attack - Volen Siderov could face criminal charges after an airport scuffle with a male passenger and a policeman. The incident pushed the chief prosecutor of Bulgaria to ask parliament to lift the controversial lawmaker's immunity.

The ruling coalition, which gathers the Socialist Party and ethnic Turkish MRF party, controls 120 seats in the 240-seats parliament. It has to rely for a majority on the Attack party, which has 23 seats.

Attack and his leader Siderov played on the anti-EU and populist rhetoric to improve the lives of poor Bulgarians. The party wants to nationalise energy energy distributors, raise taxes on the rich and revoke concessions for gold and water granted to foreign companies.

"After this scandal we will have a vacuum, an empty place left where the new Nationalist Party of Bulgaria can fill in," Trad says.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bulgarian-g...fugees-1431550

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Samuel Toothgold]

Any updates? How far are they with that wall?

[Johan]

Originally Posted by Samuel Toothgold

Any updates? How far are they with that wall?

German Activists to Stage Symbolic Demolition of Bulgaria-Turkey Border Fence

November 9, 2014, Sunday // 10:46

A group of German activists, who arrived Saturday in Bulgaria for a commemorative ceremony on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, are to stage a symbolic performance at the Lesovo border crossing point on Sunday.


The group of around 100 activists arrived in Bulgaria late on Saturday and they were accommodated at a hotel in Yambol. The two busses were escorted to the hotel by police.


On Sunday morning, they are expected to stage a symbolic demolition of the fence at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.


The ceremony also aims to commemorate the residents of East Germany who tried to make their way to the West via Bulgaria and Turkey.


“This will be a purely symbolic action because this wall is not supposed to be there. It stops people seeking protection from receiving protection,” said one of the organizers in an interview for dnevnik.bg.


He argued that the border fence had been built due to some 11 000 people who had crossed the border illegally, adding that it was an insignificant number for Germany and the country was ready to welcome them.


The situation in Yambol is calm and no representatives of nationalist parties have arrived there, despite their vocal opposition to the performance.


Interior Minister Veselin Vuchkov has pointed out that the authorities will curb any attempts to demolish the fence.
The 33-km fence along Bulgaria’s 240-km southeastern border was completed in end-July.


The facility aims to curb the influx of migrants through the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/164...y+Border+Fence


Construction of Bulgaria-Turkey border fence should continue: minister

28 November 2014 | 19:36

Blagoevgrad. ”We should continue the construction of the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border,” said Bulgarian Minister of Interior, Assoc. Prof. Veselin Vuchkov, speaking in district centre Blagoevgrad, Radio FOCUS – Pirin announced.
The minister remarked the resources needed for the construction had to be ensured. In his words, it is envisaged the fence will grow 131 kilometres in length.
”There is immigration pressure, the matter in question is that we, as a society and country, are able to deal with this pressure. I think the Migration directorate and the State Agency for Refugees have administrative capacity, buildings in stock, so that I strongly hope we could overcome that problem,” Vuchkov remarked.

http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2014/1...-minister.html

[Samuel Toothgold]

Originally Posted by Johan

...The situation in Yambol is calm and no representatives of nationalist parties have arrived there, despite their vocal opposition to the performance...

Ignoring such events is what I always suggested. Let them embarass themselves by performing at each other.
Problem is: The following will have difficulty getting over the new wall to head home:

http://dimiterkenarov.com/2008/07/ga...-everything-2/

... teenagers in trendy clothes wait their turns to have their hair highlighted or leopard-spotted (a popular style among Roma); the barber is no more than fifteen. The decoration in the barbershop consists of fake sunflowers, US dollar bills taped to the mirror, and a large poster of a naked woman. Nadezhda is not as hopeless as I thought.

“Are you ready to leave now?” Stoyan asks suddenly. He looks anxious, distracted, like a man who has just remembered he has left the stove on. He tells me it is not a good idea to walk around the poorer parts of Nadezhda because of a problem with the sewage system that has not been fixed. Many people are upset, he says, and might not be too fond of visitors. Last week they tried to break the camera of a crew from Germany’s ZDF television channel...

[Johan]

Three EU Countries 'to Send 7500 Refugees Back to Bulgaria'

January 4, 2015, Sunday


Most asylum seekers who make it to Bulgaria are unwilling to stay here, eyeing Western Europe.

Germany, Austria and Hungary would like to return about 7500 people with a refugee status to Bulgaria, media reports suggest.

Officials from the three EU member states have already referred to the Interior Ministry in Sofia to inform in about the migrants, Bulgarian daily Pressa wrote on Sunday.

As many as 180 of them were extradited in 2014, but others are also likely to be returned.

Last summer, Germany told Bulgaria it would send back some 3000 people with either humanitarian or refugee status who had illegally reached its territory. Berlin later renounced the idea.

In theory, the refugee status, unlike the humanitarian status, allows its bearer to travel in the rest of the EU.

But current rules state that a refugee who has been registered in Bulgaria but chooses to move to another EU country is to be sent back.

Under the Dublin Regulation, it is up to the EU member state which has served as an asylum seeker's entry into the EU to protect the seeker and look into their asylum claim.
Sofia has long hoped that rules would be changed and has lately sped up procedures granting humanitarian status. - See more at: http://www.novinite.com/articles/162....h3dtYWZc.dpuf

Hoping that rules would be changed Sofia sped up in 2013 procedures granting humanitarian status, a move which drew criticism from politicians and experts.

Regardless of rules most refugees and bearers of a humanitarian status are determined not to stay in Bulgaria, a country they mostly perceive as a stop on their way to Western Europe. Neither has Sofia adopted a comprehensive integration strategy that could offer migrants any prospects in Bulgaria.

Earlier this week Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva called in a meeting with Interior Minister Veselin Vuchukov and Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev to discuss the risks of a new refugee tide similar to the one that flooded Bulgaria in the autumn of 2013.

Authorities in Sofia are now reportedly concerned about how to accommodate the migrants if they are returned, since there are is only room for 2000 more people in the respective centers. At the same time under Bulgaria's legislation the centers cannot serve as housing for migrants who have already been granted status.

The State Agency for Refugees (DAB) recently warned that an increased migrant flow should be expected when temperatures go up in the spring.

This comes days after Nikolay Chirpanliev, who headed the DAB, was dismissed on December 29.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/165...to+Bulgaria%27

[Johan]

Bulgaria’s military to secure logistics on border protection: PM

10 January 2015

Sofia. “The Bulgarian military will secure the logistics on the protection of the state border,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said in an interview with the weekend morning programme of Nova TV.
“The drivers with their trucks and SUV equipment will transport the border police and police officers that will be commissioned there,” Borisov explained.
“At the moment we are trying, and not only trying, to fix the roads. We will build a facility – a protection facility. Let us not call it a fence.
The army has perfect equipment. We speak about special off-road vehicles, professional drivers, trained for such terrains,” the prime minister commented further.

http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2015/0...ection-pm.html