Second day of protests in downtown Sofia, clashes with police

Two protests were held in downtown Sofia on July 10, with opposite demands and in different places – one outside the Presidency and one outside the Council of Ministers.

The protest outside the Presidency took place for a second night in a row. The protesters spoke out against the ostentatious actions of the Prosecutor's office, the chief prosecutor and the government. They expressed support for the rule of law, the presidential institution and democracy.

At around 10:30 pm, clashes broke out near the building of the Council of Ministers. Protesters tried to break through the police cordon, throwing bottles and eggs as they searched forward.

Shortly afterwards, participants in the rally in front of the Presidency damaged two buses

The police tried to calm the tension. Some of the protesters were detained. Police reinforcements arrived.

Earlier in the evening, some clashes occurred at the junction of Rakovski and dondukov boulevards. BNT team witnessed the arrest of two protesters.

Shortly after 3 p.m., supporters of President Rumen Radev gathered again in front of the Presidency. At 18:30 Radev himself came down to them. He said that the protest against the Bulgarian mafia was turning into a campaign and called for the mistakes of 2013 not to be repeated - for Bulgarians not to be divided into left and right, Americanophiles and Americanophobes, Bulgarians and Turks. He also called for the ethnic card not to be played.

"We are here to say “No” to political repression, “No” to prosecutorial racketeering, “No” to arbitrariness ... We are here to demand fair elections and machine voting so that the mafia cannot reproduce itself. In the coming days, the mafia will sow discord, will denigrate the leaders of the protest, will suggest that you are paid, will organize counter-protests and provocations, but the paid protests are where the buses are. .. Thick necks out! ", President Rumen Radev said.

The protesters spoke out against Bulgaria’s Chief Prosecutor and the government.

Outside the Council of Ministers, supporters of the ruling GERB came to support Boyko Borissov and the cabinet's policy. Lawmakers and ministers backed the government's actions and rejected the president's accusations. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov joined the protesters. He called for unity.

"Nothing should have divided us. This is the worst thing that is happening right now. Europe and the whole world is reporting that Bulgaria has joined ERM 2 eurozne wating room. We should be together with President Radev, we should have together enjoyed the success. And not be divided. I am not happy, today we should have been here together, the ruling and the opposition, together with the President," Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said.

Supporters of the PM said that they were holding a rally, not a counter protest. Shortly after that they dispersed. The protesters supporting the President tried to break through the police cordon.

The procession went to the Parliament and the Eagles’ Bridge, and on the way the gendarmerie had to block Dondukov Boulevard from Tsar Osvoboditel in order to keep the two processions apart.

At the corner of Rakovski and Dondukov Boulevards, buses took supporters of the cabinet and some in President's supporters group threw objects at the buses.

One of the participants was detained. Meanwhile, the protesters blocked the traffic at Eagles’ Bridge for 30 minutes.

After blocking the Eagles’ Bridge, the protesters walked back to the Council of Ministers, where they started throwing bottles towards the building.

A group of protesters also gathered in front of the building of the public service broadcaster, BNT.

Around 10 pm, the protest began to thin out and gathered again in front of the Council of Ministers.