In connection with an inquiry by the Bulgarian National Radio regarding allegations about the number of citizens who participated in yesterday's mass events on the territory of the country, the Ministry of Interior categorically states that it does not collect data on the specific number of participants in such events.
In accordance with its legal powers to preserve public order and prevent tension during such events, the leaders of the "Security Police" and the Gendarmerie (at all levels) take appropriate action by engaging the necessary police forces, proportional to the number of participants in the mass events, in order to guarantee both the security of the protesting citizens themselves and the peaceful conduct of the declared event.
The data on the proportional engagement of the police forces, which ensured reliable security and civil peace during yesterday's events, categorically do not indicate that it was necessary to send officers to the field to guard "tens of thousands" participants in Sofia or in total on the territory of the country. In this sense, claims that the Ministry of Interior has "official data" for "270,000 Bulgarians who took to the streets and squares in over 100 cities" in no way correspond to the objective truth, the Ministry of Interior states.