Bulgarian Eco Activists Rally against GERB Govt in Sofia

Several hundred protesters, mostly young environmentalists, rallied in the downtown of Bulgarian capital Thursday night in protest against resort development projects on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and respective policies of the ruling party GERB.

"We Want Nature, Not Concrete!" chanted the protesters as they headed for the National Assembly Square after rallying at the Monument of Patriarch Evtimiy, and blocking several major streets on their way.

"GERB – Your Law Is without Morals", "Hands Off Bulgarian Nature", and "We Are the State" were some of the slogans raised by the eco activists, BGNES reported.

They are quoted as mentioning the last three scandalous Black Sea coast development projects that made the news over the past few days in Bulgaria, one after the other – the so called Dunesdate – a project to build vacation properties on 29 decares of protected dunes near Nessebar, a project for resort construction the protected beach of Irakli, and resort construction in the Coral area in the south.

The protesters made it clear their discontent with a meeting that their representatives had with government members on Thursday about the Protected Territories Act and its potential amendments.

Thursday night's environmental protest in Sofia replicates the January 14 protest entitled "Let's Save Irakli" against construction in protected territories across Bulgaria. Protest rallies were also held in Varna, Plovdiv, and Burgas.