Protests in Bulgaria, Day 24: Tensions and Clashes at Saturday's Protest in Sofia

Tensions and clashes between police and protesters on the 24th day of anti-government protests last night.

After 10 pm, a bus with the inscription "The system is killing us" asked to join the people of "Orlov Most"/Eagle Bridge. After being passed by the police near Sofia University, meters down the bus was stopped by a second cordon in uniform. According to them, the vehicle could not reach the Orlov Most.

Five women from the "System Kills Us" initiative were in the bus. According to them, they were returning from the protest in front of the Prime Minister's house in Bankya and wanted to go to the tent camp in the center of Sofia. However, for reasons inexplicable to them, they were stopped.

Police say they did not allow any vehicle, outside the food delivery trucks for the shops in the area, to pass through the blocked routes. The stopping of the bus caused an escalation of tension between the uniformed and the protesters.

For 24 hours now, the approach of the Trakia highway near Stara Zagora has also been closed. Protesters from Stara Zagora, supported by people from other settlements, set up a tent camp on the road. They said they were blocked by police. Their request is to pass through the clover of the highway. They are urging the police to ensure the safe passage of the protest. However, the police refused to allow them with the argument that the speed of the highway is high.