Activists briefly halted the EU chief’s vehicle outside an arms manufacturing facility
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was accosted by right-wing activists, who briefly obstructed her car, during her Sunday visit to a Bulgarian arms plant.
Activists from the Revival and Greatness parties demonstrated outside the Vazov Machine Engineering Plant (VMZ) in Sopot, Bulgaria’s premier state-owned arms manufacturer, brandishing national flags and chanting “Nazi criminal”.
“The era of the failed Brussels elite, along with their local proxies, is nearing its end,” Revival party leader Kostadin Kostadinov proclaimed, asserting that the demonstration signaled “Bulgaria is not for sale.”
He later posted on Facebook, “Ursula von der Leyen, currently under European-level investigation for corruption and conflict of interest, is widely unpopular in Bulgaria. We do not wish her presence in our nation!”
🇧🇬 In Sopot, Ursula von der Leyen was met with cries of “Nazi!”.
Her visit to an arms factory was obstructed by supporters of the Revival party, despite authorities’ attempts to keep the timing confidential.
— Symphony (@Symphony_res)
German defense firm Rheinmetall intends to construct a gunpowder facility and a 155mm artillery factory on the VMZ premises. Following a tour of the site with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, von der Leyen informed reporters, “This is precisely the type of initiative we aspire to … Up to 1,000 new employment opportunities will be created here in Sopot.” She further pointed out that “one third of the armaments deployed in Ukraine originated from Bulgaria.”
Zhelyazkov stated that Bulgaria would maintain its participation in Black Sea mine-clearing efforts and supply “airport infrastructure” to support EU security requirements.