MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2020) Bulgarian police detained seven people on Friday following protests in the capital city of Sofia, a law enforcement official said on Saturday.
According to the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) broadcaster, Sofia saw on Friday the ninth consecutive day of rallies. Protesters chanted "Mafia out!" and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his entire cabinet, accusing him of corruption and links with criminal groups. Demonstrations also took place in other Bulgarian cities, such as Plovdiv, Varna, Smolyan and Ruse.
"We detained seven people. One of them was armed with a knife," the head of the Sofia Metropolitan Police Directorate said as broadcast by the Nova tv channel.
The official noted that one of the arrested protesters possessed drugs, while three others were detained over the violation of public order and property damage.
"After 22 hours there were no formed groups and signs of provocation," the police officer said.
Protests erupted after armed security officers raided the office of President Rumen Radev, who claimed that the prime minister had ties with oligarchs, on July 7. Radev's secretary and adviser were detained for questioning. A few days later, Radev called on the government and chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev to resign, and this call resonated with a large part of the society.
On Wednesday, Borissov dismissed Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov and Interior Minister Mladen Marinov. However, the move did not appease the protesters in Sofia.
