Sofia, Bulgaria – Thousands of Bulgarians He raised the streets of the capital, Sofia and other important cities on Saturday to protest the government’s plans to adopt the euro and demand a referendum on the new currency.
The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans such as “Freedom for the Bulgarian Lev” and “The future belongs to the sovereign states.” The Anti-Europe Rally occurred four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the Eurozone.
The protesters in Sofia carried flags of the Vazrazhdane Pro-Russia party and a great banner that said “the battle for the Bulgarian Lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.”
A greater police presence maintained the peaceful protest.
Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remained of its poorest members, full of years of instability that has fed the Euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty.
President Rumen Radev encouraged anti-Europe voices by proposing a referendum about the currency earlier this month, citing public concerns about inflation and purchasing power.
The proposal was rejected by the majority of the parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his attempt at the last minute of sabotaging the adoption of the euro, aimed at deepening European integration in the midst of growing geopolitical tensions.
