Bulgaria Is on the Verge of Collapse, and Right-Wing Extremism Is on the Rise

[Valin]

The New Republic:

VICTOR KOTSEV

12/16/13

 

On the evening of November 9, half a dozen heavily intoxicated Bulgarian skinheads set out for a house in the center of the capital, Sofia, where a group of Syrian refugees had found shelter. They broke its front door and windows, and when driven away by the frightened inhabitants they vented their rage on an ethnic Turkish Bulgarian who happened to be passing nearbyand whom they later said they mistook for a Syriansending him to the hospital with a badly fractured skull and multiple other injuries. A group of locals sitting at a nearby cafe called the police as they watched the victims blood splash on the pavement, but * according to local news only one bystander attempted, unsuccessfully, to intervene.

 

Xenophobic attacks such as this one have become an almost daily reality in Bulgaria, where political and economic turmoil have created a widespread crisis of confidence. With more than six months of continuous daily protests in front of the Parliament, students barricaded in Sofias main university since October, and a rising tide of ultranationalism and intolerance, many fear that the European Unions poorest member will collapse.

 

The underperforming economy has continued to take a beating, as both the National Electric Company and the National Health Insurance Fund are on the verge of bankruptcy and the specter of deflation hangs over the country. It simply isnt possible to make any long-term plans in this situation, says Boyan Benev, a 29-year old entrepreneur, author, and TV host based in Sofia. The situation has worsened greatly in the last few monthspeople have become alienated, one from another, making it harder to work and plan together. It will take years to return to where we were not long ago.

 

(Snip)

 

* Bulgarian language