Protest in Knyazhevo against a future refugee center for children without parents

How could the provision of shelter and protection for 20 children be an immediate danger for Sofia? This is what the capital's mayor Vasil Terziev asked on his Facebook profile. The post came on the occasion of a protest organized by the "For Knyazhevo" association against the creation of new centers for unaccompanied refugee children in the "Oborishte" and "Vitosha" districts. According to Terziev, what is happening is "a manifestation of an inhumane attitude towards unenviable human destinies of children and playing with fears and manipulations".

One of the protesters, Alexander Ivanov, who is a member of the Board of Directors of "For Knyazhevo" association, told BTA that the actions of the local authorities were taken without consulting the citizens. "We invited the people to explain to them what is being done 'in the dark' without them knowing," Ivanov said, adding that the proposed location for the center was unsuitable for a children's center.