Price Protesters Urge Bulgaria Govt to Quit

Rallies in central Sofia on Monday evening were marked by demands for the resignation of the centre-right government and by clashes with riot police, which continued for over four hours with policemen chasing demonstrators on the streets.

The most serious clash happened on the central Hristo Botev boulevard, where police attacked the crowd with batons. In another incident, shots were fired from a balcony in central Sofia. The shooter was arrested and the gas pistol seized.

According to the Interior Ministry, 11 people were detained and six patrol cars sustained damage.

The Chief of Sofia police, Commissar Valeri Yordanov, said the man fired the gas pistol at demonstrators when they pushed his parked vehicle.

Flute virtuoso, Christian Koev, was among the detainees. He was held briefly and released.

“What is happening? I come back to Bulgaria and see the impossible electric bills of my mother, and this is why I am protesting,” he said on his release.