Anti-government protests turn tense in Bulgaria as thousands rally against PM
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Thousands of Bulgarians rallied in front of the parliament in Sofia on Wednesday in one of the biggest protests so far in two months of demonstrations calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
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Tensions rose in the late hours after some protesters threw over 100 small bombs and firecrackers at police. Officers brought a water cannon and cordoned off the square in front of the parliament. Some 60 people were arrested, police said.
Protest leaders appealed for a peaceful rally and said provocateurs attacked the police. Earlier on Wednesday scuffles broke out between protesters and police, who fired pepper spray and arrested 35 people.
Protesters threw eggs, apples and garbage. They also shook police vehicles, and about 100 officers were affected by pepper spray aimed at them by protesters, Sofia Police Chief Georgi Hadzhiev said. Health officials said some 45 people, including police officers, were treated in hospitals.
The rally took place on the first sitting of parliament after summer recess. Protesters called it the “Grand National Uprising” in response the governments plan for a new constitution.
The events from the #protest in #Bulgaria today (so far):
* police pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed people at random, including journalists and seniors
* random arrests without an explanation BUT with a good beating
* selective and manipulative media reporting (as usual)#ostavka pic.twitter.com/13aksJAknc— Mila Daskalova #ostavka (@MilaDaskalova) September 2, 2020
Protesters accuse three-times premier Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev of failing to fight the corruption that erodes the rule of law and benefits powerful tycoons in the European Unions poorest country.
In parliament, President Rumen Radev called for the resignation of Borissovs centre-right government and appealed to deputies to dismiss plansRead More – Source
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