There were checkpoints that managed to prevent people from bringing in dangerous objects and causing tension in the main protest. This time there was definitely discipline. The important thing was that violence was not allowed, and this is a fact. This was stated by the former chairman of the National Security Agency and former Minister of the Interior Tsvetlin Yovchev in the program “Face to Face“ on bTV.
The vandals were definitely organized in advance and had the task of provoking violence. The goal was to cause a clash with the police and the peaceful protesters. The Ministry of Interior did not allow violence, he specified.
The weaknesses were that the Ministry of Interior could not deploy enough forces and resources to prevent vandalism, the former Minister of Interior pointed out.
According to him, in such a situation, initially, upon such signals, one must work operationally with the agitators and see if there are planned actions. If this is established, the agitators' commanders are called and work is done in this direction. It is necessary to strictly instruct the Ministry of Interior employees and not let things get out of control. Reserves must be provided, both in the protest area and outside it. It is necessary to provide video surveillance at the protest site, to create an operational headquarters, and to have Ministry of Interior employees inside the protest, he explained.
Regarding the attack on party headquarters, Yovchev said that there is no reason to attack a building in which there is no one. Neither the ruling party nor the opposition are interested in these actions. If the protest had been bloody, it would have meant a certain resignation of the government. Listening to the street during these processes is a mistake, he believes.
According to him, there is a way to establish who is behind the organization of the radical groups. “The most important thing is that there is no violence. When there are groups that seek escalation, there can be no damage, the important thing is that no people are injured. There are mistakes - why were the cars left in front of the cordon?“, he wonders.
According to him, the reason for the protests is the lack of justice, the lack of perspective and future.