Damp Day of Protests in Sofia, Other Bulgarian Cities

The much-hyped day of protests in Bulgaria on November 18 saw traffic disruptions by protesters in cars in some parts of the country, while in Sofia participation numbered little more than a few hundred people, under grey skies and light rain, reports Unian.

The difference in impact of the various protests - called generally around cost-of-living issues including "high fuel prices" and seeking the resignation of the government - depended on whether protesters were in cars or on foot, according to The Sofia Globe.

In Bulgaria's Black Sea cities of Bourgas and Varna, for example, motorists blocked city streets, while elsewhere roads to some of Bulgaria's border checkpoints were obstructed for some time.

In the capital city, protesters went for a walk in the soft drizzling rain, from Parliament to the Cabinet building, along major boulevards to Eagle Bridge and to Alexander Purvi Square. En route, this caused temporary halts to traffic in central city streets. As night fell on the city, no major road in Sofia was blocked, according to a report by Bulgarian National Radio. Participants in two of the larger protests - out of four, the other two being in the name of other causes - chanted "resign," "mafia" and at one point "referendum," the last-mentioned presumably to do with the placards they carried urging "direct democracy."

In the course of the afternoon, a motorist was arrested near the Russian Church for driving recklessly near the protesters and failing to obey police orders. As the motorist sped down the road, a police car intercepted it, with another swiftly coming up to block it from behind. Elsewhere in Bulgaria, about 300 people took part in a protest in Gabrovo, demanding the resignation of the government because of the low...