Bulgarian nationalists staged a protest rally outside the American Embassy in Sofia. Photo by BGNES
Protesters from the ultranationalist Bulgarian party Ataka insisted upon the demolition of the monument of the American pilots who died in Sofia on January 10, 1944.
The choice of date and location is dictated by the 70-year-anniversary of the bombings in Sofia, which Ataka MP, Magdalena Tasheva, called "the apex of Anglo-American barbarity."
At the beginning of the week, Ataka leader, Volen Siderov, named the protest a key event for the party. However, Siderov was not among the activists who gathered to protest across the building of the US Embassy.
Siderov's absence did not trouble the protesters, who had come prepared with national flags and posters, saying, "Bulgaria is not a US colony," and "Yankee, go home."
"The events began with the bombings in 1944, but now things are not that much different," said Ataka Deputy Chairman, Pavel Shopov. He said that the people such as those inside the building of the US Embassy continue to kill innocent women and children.
"We tell the truth, and they try to crush and trample us, but they won't succeed," said Shopov.
Following the speeches of several Ataka members, the party anthem served as the cue for all protesters to set off toward the residential district "Ivan Vazov," and commemorate the Bulgarian victims of the same bombings with flowers on their memorial plaque.