During a protest procession against the refugee camp in the Bulgarian town of Harmanli on Sunday, the two constituent parties of the Patriotic Front (PF) and the nationalistic Ataka called for the immediate closure of refugee centres in Bulgaria and the return of their inhabitants to Turkey or their countries of origin.

This was stated by Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki, who is among the organizers and leaders of the protest which comes after last week’s mass fight between which involved around 800 inhabitants from the centre.

The fight started between two groups of migrants, one from Iraq and the other from Afghanistan. This was followed by clashes with the police forces.

Dzhambazki was firm that the inhabitants of the refugee centres are not poor refugees, but illegal immigrants. He identified the existence of the refugee centres as threat to national security and Bulgarian society.

According to him, the European policy on illegal migration has been confused, inconsistent and hypocritical.

As a result of this, the countries on the frontline have had to bear the burden of the migrant crisis, Darik radio quotes him as saying.

More than 100 police officers and gendarmerie officials guarded the protesters, among whom were both members of the nationalist parties and ordinary citizens.

The demonstrators demanded stricter control in the refugee centre and turning it into one of a closed type.

Among their other demands are the introduction of curfew, ban on melee weapons and heightened police presence to ensure order and safety in the town.