'Sieg Heil' and Hotel Siege: Antisemitic Scandal in Bansko (VIDEO)

In Bansko, a group of radicals in black clothing blocked a hotel housing Jewish teenagers, chanting 'Sieg Heil' and using pepper spray. Police dispersed the attackers, but they returned. The head of the Roman Jewish community, Victor Fadlun, demanded an investigation. This is the second attack on Israelis in Bulgaria within a week.

An antisemitic incident occurred in the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko. On Sunday, August 2, a group of radicals dressed in black with skull imagery blocked a hotel where Jewish teenagers were staying for an international seminar. Participants included members of the Roman Jewish community and delegates from Israel. The attackers raised their arms in a Nazi salute, chanted 'Sieg Heil,' and shouted insults. Police arrived and dispersed them, but after the officers left, the neo-Nazis returned and continued their intimidation. Victor Fadlun, head of the Roman Jewish community, expressed outrage and demanded a thorough investigation from Bulgarian authorities. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the surge of antisemitism. This is the second attack on Israelis in Bulgaria within a week: earlier, at the Sunny Beach resort, British tourists beat and used pepper spray against eighteen-year-old Israelis upon learning their nationality. The victims were forced to take refuge in their hotel rooms.