Preston's Bulgarian community condemns swastika graffiti linked to far right football supporters

Police are investigating the appearance of graffiti in Plungington depicting the swastika, an official emblem of the National Socialist Party of Germany (NSDAP) later adopted by neo-Nazis.

Local councillor Pav Akhtar, who tweeted about the discovery of the offensive symbol, previously said he was contacted by a Bulgarian sports journalist who believes the symbols are connected to a section of Far Right extremists who support Levski Sofia Football Club, though it is unclear why they would target Preston.

Milen Boevski, who runs a minibus firm, is involved with the Bulgarians in Preston Facebook group, which has almost 800 members.

He has condemned the offensive graffiti.

He said: "To be honest as a Bulgarian national it really hurts when someone does something and upsets a lot of people, then we all (could) get blamed for that.

"As far as I know this thing happened a month or two ago and it's not nice and noone is pleased.

"The first time it was on Bulgarian TV news. To be fair it's probably only one or two lads who need to get blamed and to be passed to police.

" I know quite a few Bulgarians and I've asked who did it, it seems to be some young lads who came here on their own and no one knows them

"Levski Sofia has always been involved with stuff like that and will be always someone to not follow the rules and being stupid.

"If I get to know who did it I'll take him to the police station myself."

A Nazi swastika daubed on the wall of Alsop St and Brackenbury St - at a time Jewish families were celebrating their New Year - has been reported and cleaned up by Preston Council’s team.

A second one was then spotted on the wall of The Good Van Company shop in Brook Street, opposite the Brook Tavern pub, in Plungington.

The man who found it told the Post: "I walk to work along Brook Street almost every day so anything new or different stands out. I could tell straight away that the symbol was the swastika.

" It's not something you'd expect to see in Plungington and it does worry you to think that people are out there who believe in such extreme views.

"People have to feel safe walking around and symbols like that have the power to unsettle and scare."

Both symbols were accompanied by the number '1914', which is also common in similar graffiti in the city of Sofia.

It is the year the Bulgarian team was formed and also thought to be a nod to the number 14, a symbolic neo-Nazi sign linked to a notorious “14 words” statement made by a Klu Klux Klan member referring to a 'future for white children'.

In May someone daubed anti-Black and neo-Nazi slogans across Plungington and the city centre.

Anyone with information about the graffiti can call police on 101.