Last Friday, a group of 200 Roma people moved into the first floor of a block of flats in the Lyulin district in Sofia, leaving some very upset neighbours. They were relocated from the Asanova district as a new Billa hypermarket was slated for construction there. They have been found temporary lodgings in Lyulin by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski.

The Sofia Ninth Regional Police Department, which had been living there, left 20 rooms for 40 Roma families.

The people in the Lyulin block have complained about their unwelcome guests and threatened to take the law in their own hands. "I am not sure that all of these families will leave - the moment they came robberies and thefts started right away," said a 30-year-old woman identifying herself only as Tzetsa. The neighbours considered the Roma people moving into their neighbourhood as an unfair act by the municipality. "We wish we had the law from before, when only one Roma family could be hosted in the same unit," said Ivan Gogov, a resident of the block.

Other tenants residing in the building were willing to speak only under conditions of anonymity. They said they were afraid not only for their homes but also for their health. "We see their idea for building stables in front of the block," a 40-year-old taxi driver said.

The unwelcome inhabitants of the Lyulin district defended themselves by saying that they would love to be on friendly terms with those living around them. They even expressed willingness to keep the surroundings clean and tidy. They believed that the complaints and problems would soon fade away.

Settling in has not been easy for the Roma, who are also trying to make the best of a bad situation. "After the police department officers left we found it hard to clean and repair all the doors and window frames," said Bai Gosho, as he is known among the Roma.