Tensions in Gabrovo over a mass brawl in the city. The incident took place on the evening of May 6, but became popular on social media due to security camera footage. It involved women and men, with one of the participants seen kicking a fallen man in the head. Three people were injured.
"The man was lying on the ground, we didn't know if he was alive. My husband helped him," says Vanya, who is a witness.
The dispute between neighbors arose because of a complaint from families that two women were making noise on the street. Then their relatives showed up and the fight broke out. According to the Ministry of Interior, it was a domestic incident.
"I want to emphasize that it was an ethnically based brawl, between Bulgarians, Roma or Turks. All are Bulgarian citizens. Two of the individuals who caused minor bodily injuries have been detained, with the most injured person being the one who struck first," said the deputy director of the Gabrovo Interior Ministry's Regional Office, Tsvetan Petkov.
"No measures have been taken to prevent the arrest. No charges have been filed. The bodily injuries are still being determined," said the regional prosecutor, Borislav Borisov.
The women who made the noise and their relatives are from a marginalized community. Due to the incident, the Gabrovo Municipality forced two of the residents to leave the municipal apartment. However, nearly 500 people protested in the center of Gabrovo and demanded the resignation of the city mayor in front of her home.
The disgruntled marched through the central streets of Gabrovo and gathered at the scene of the fight, where they were met by gendarmerie and police, who did not allow them to enter the homes of those who had caused the fight. Despite the heightened tension, the protest ended before midnight without any excesses.