Send to Kindle
On Tuesday night, several hundred Bulgaria protesters formed a human chain outside the parliament building in the capital Sofia, trapping those inside. Photo by BGNES
Charlotte McDonald-Gibson
The Independent
The President appealed for calm after more than 100 MPs, ministers and staff were forced to spend the night in parliament as demonstrators blocked the exits and held off police by throwing stones.
It was the first outbreak of violence in more than 40 days of anti-government protests.
Thousands of Bulgarians angry at what they say is entrenched state corruption and nepotism have been gathering in Sofia each day, and up until this week there had been a peaceful atmosphere.
But on Tuesday night, several hundred protesters formed a human chain outside the parliament building, trapping those inside. Attempts by police to bring in a bus to rescue them failed when protesters pelted it with stones. Both police and demonstrators were injured in the scuffles.
Riot police finally managed to breach the protesters' blockade of paving stones and rubbish bins at about 3am, eight hours after the siege began. Parliament remained closed and under heavy police guard, and President Rosen Plevneliev called on protesters to remain "peaceful and civilized".
Bulgarian Interior Minister Daniel Mitov has removed Senior Commissioner Andrey Angelov from his post as head of Varna’s police
A demonstration is taking place in Sofia today, organized by an initiative committee backed by the "Revival" party.
Tension gripped the Bulgarian city of Varna on Tuesday evening following the death of 36-year-old Yavor Georgiev
Thousands of people gathered in Budapest on Tuesday in a protest against the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles
Protests in Los Angeles escalated for a third consecutive night as thousands took to the streets to voice opposition to President Donald Trump’s unprecedented deployment of the National Guard
Brazen Bulgarian gangs "terrorise the elderly and rob them over their life savings with increasingly aggressive phone scams nettling millions of euros," according to an AFP story.
The prospect of US President Donald Trump's moving closer to Russia has scrambled the strategy of "balancing East and West" used for decades by countries like Bulgaria, the New York Times says.
Bulgarians have benefited a lot from their EU membership, with incomes rising and Brussels overseeing politicians, according to a New York Times piece.
German businesses prefer to trade with Bulgaria rather than invest into the country, an article on DW Bulgaria's website argues.
The truth about Bulgaria and Moldova's presidential elections is "more complicated" and should not be reduced to pro-Russian candidates winning, the Economist says.
President-elect Rumen Radev "struck a chord with voters by attacking the status quo and stressing issues like national security and migration," AFP agency writes after the presidential vote on Sunday.
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
Bulgaria's Mortality Rate Remains Highest in Europe
