The police in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv released Sunday afternoon four activists of the extreme right and nationalistic Ataka party after charging them with hooliganism.

The originally five activists were arrested in Plovdiv Saturday night during the official celebration of Bulgaria's National Unification Day, September 6th, for improper behavior and for carrying banners with swastikas.

One of the detainees was the 15-year-old Zdravko Chimski, who was released shortly after the arrest because of his minor age, and will be interrogated later on Sunday.

Before the other four activists, including a 62-year-old woman, were released, the Second Police Department in Plovdiv was besieged by an angry crowd of about 100 Ataka sympathizers led by the party leader Volen Siderov.

The crowd carried banners similar to the ones because of which the four activists were arrested.

The layer of the four detainees Elena Sirakova stated that the hooliganism charges could not be sustained in the courtroom because the swastikas on the banners were accompanied by text explaining their meaning just like in any regular textbook sold in every bookstore.

Siderov himself said the party was going to file suits about police arbitrariness, and because the police were used to advance political goals.

The Director of the District Police Directorate Rangel Angelov stated in turn that the provocations had become a profession for the leaders of the Ataka party.

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