Protesting Farmers Try to Storm Bulgaria's Council of Ministers

Politics | August 27, 2008, Wednesday // 00:00
Bulgaria Protesting Farmers Try to Storm Bulgaria??™s Council of Ministers: Protesting Farmers Try to Storm Bulgaria's Council of Ministers Over 200 milk producers clashed with the police in downtown Sofia as they tried to storm the Council of Ministers' Building. Photo by Kameliya Atanassova (Sofia Photo Agency)

Over 200 milk producers from all over Bulgaria staged a protest rally in downtown Sofia demanding agricultural subsidies, which ended with clashed with the police and several arrests after an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Council of Ministers building.

After Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev did not agree to meet with the protesters, and as their permit to protest expired at 3 p.m. protesting farmers tried to force their way into the government's headquarters at 1 Dondukov Blvd but were stopped by the dozens of policemen there.

As a result, several of the leaders of protesters including the Chair of the Milk Producers' Association Andriyan Tsakonski were arrested for breaking the public peace, and protesting after their permit had expired.

Tsankonski and the other leaders were released a couple of hours later after they were warned against engaging in similar behavior in the future.

"The protest rally was definitely organized in a provocative way. The organizers urged the protesters to break the law. And I will not meat with anyone, who does not abide by the law", said Bulgaria's PM Sergey Stanishev, who was in the Studentski Grad quarter during the protests, opening renovated university dorms.

After the clashes with the policemen, representatives of the farmers received a permit for permanent protests from the Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov.

Meanwhile, the State Agriculture Fund has promised the farmer's subsidies would be paid by September 8. If this does not, the milk producers are going to resume the protests on September 10.

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