17.11.2018Bulgarian Deputy PM Valery Simeonov finally resigned!
On November 16 Valery Simeonov, Deputy Prime minister and ultra-nationalist, prominent with numerous public scandals, finally resigned from the government. This happened after one-month street protests organized by mothers of children with disabilities.
The beginning of Simonov’s mandate termination was marked by his interview on October 19 in which he called mothers of children with disabilities “laughing women” and their children – “pseudo ill”. This statement provoked immediate reaction and sharp disagreement of citizens, NGOs, intellectuals and politicians while mothers of children with disabilities organized everyday street protests in the capital of Sofia and in the other big cities. They managed to gain public support and to de-legitimize Simeonov. A MP from Simeonov’s party also contributed for the resignation expressing opinion that children with disabilities put in special institutions. This provoked new public scandal.
The scandalous statements and actions of V. Simeonov are from the beginning of his political carrier. For example, in a speech in December 2014 in the National Assembly, he called the Roma "pitiful, self-confident and beastly men-like, requiring the right to receive sallaries without working, seeking sick-leave without being ill, childcare benefits for children playing with the pigs on the street, and maternity benefits for women with street bitch instincts. "
AMALIPE and many other organizations firmly objected to the appointment of V. Simeonov as chairman of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues in May 2017 - information about it see here. Activists of Amalipe gathered more than 3200 signatures against the appointment as part of the joint effort of a broad group of Roma and pro-Roma organizations that resulted in a total of 15,000 signatures. In May 2018 the Amalipe Center and a number of other organizations agreed to participate in an event of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency dedicated to the Roma only in the case of non-participation of V. Simeonov - more information see here.
