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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSF #1013 2321326
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201326Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4164
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SOFIA 001013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM PGOV BU
SUBJECT: STREET BATTLE IN CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS ROMA PLIGHT 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Riots rocked a section of Bulgaria's capital 
Sofia August 14-15 when some 200 armed Roma marshaled to combat a 
rumored imminent attack by a skinhead group.  Several people were 
injured during two days of unrest.  Both the President and Prime 
Minister called for a quick investigation to prevent escalation of 
ethnic tensions.  Violence has now eased off but anger and suspicion 
remain pronounced in both the Roma and adjoining communities.  The 
street battle again highlighted the acute social problems of the 
Roma minority and their uneasy relationship with law enforcement. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) With details still murky and contradictory information and 
rumor still flying, authorities are piecing together what transpired 
over two days of violent clashes between Roma and skinheads.  The 
police are pointing at Roma as instigators (the usual practice) but 
the causes no doubt run much deeper.  According to police and media 
reports, on August 14, some 200 Bulgarians of Roma origin armed with 
knives, axes, sticks and spades went on a rampage in the north-west 
Sofia district Krasna Polyana,  after rumors surfaced that they were 
about to be attacked by a group of skinheads.  Reportedly chanting 
"Death to the Bulgarians," Roma smashed the windows of four cars and 
overturned garbage cans.  Several people were apparently injured, 
but exact numbers of the injured are not available.  Police detained 
four Roma for acts of hooliganism.  While police are still 
investigating, Roma witnesses claimed it was retaliation for a clash 
that took place the evening of August 12, when a group of young men, 
described by Roma witnesses as skinheads, allegedly attacked three 
Roma teenagers, one of whom was severely beaten.  On August 19, 
police detained four ethnic Bulgarians, between 16 and 20 years of 
age, as accomplices in the beating.  Police identified them as 
members of a teenage group with no apparent connection to the 
skinheads.  (Note: While skinheads are known to be present in 
Bulgaria, their numbers are thought to be comparatively small). 
¶3. (SBU) According to human rights activists, the latest incidents 
were symbolic of the plight of Bulgarian Roma, many of whom are 
poor, illiterate, and marginalized. Roma make up about 4.7 percent 
of Bulgaria's 7.8 million population, according to official 
statistics, though the actual figure is likely significantly higher. 
 The Third Annual Index of Failed States recently released by the 
Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine gave Bulgaria a low score 
on its ability to address the needs of the Roma population. 
(Bulgaria, which now chairs the Decade of Roma project, has made 
undistinguished progress.) 
 
PRESIDENT, PM URGE SWIFT INVESTIGATION 
 
¶4. (SBU) Commenting on the incident, which made sensational, 
front-page headlines in Bulgaria's main dailies, both President 
Georgi Paranov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev called for a 
swift investigation in order to prevent escalation of ethnic 
tensions.  Speaking with reporters, Stanishev said Bulgaria should 
be a home to all citizens "who should have equal rights and 
obligations."  Stanishev was quoted as saying that certain political 
forces have been instigating ethnic hatred.  Extreme nationalist 
party Ataka has successfully exploited previous tensions between 
ethnic Bulgarians and Roma.  Strongly anti-United States and 
anti-EU, Ataka emerged as a surprisingly potent protest force during 
2005 general elections and has since continued to fan negative 
attitudes against the country's Roma and Turkish minorities. 
Following the latest incident, Ataka leader Volen Siderov again 
mounted his demagogic soapbox, saying the situation exposed a lack 
of developed statehood in Bulgaria, as illustrated by the alleged 
passivity of the police "while hundreds of raging Roma endangered 
people's lives."  Another extreme nationalist group, the Bulgarian 
National Union, announced on August 19 that it planned to organize 
self-defense groups to protect the population in case of emergency 
situations such as ethnic clashes and natural disasters. 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT:  This latest incident of Roma unrest is unlikely 
to spill over into sustained protests or ethnic violence. 
Nevertheless, the disturbances expose underlying ethnic tensions and 
highlight the acute need for consistent long-term actions on part of 
the Bulgarian government to integrate the country's Roma population. 
 
 
KARAGIANNIS