2020–2021 Bulgarian protests

2020–2021 Bulgarian protests
2020–2021 Bulgarian protests
Protests against the Third Borisov Government
Date	9 July 2020 – 1 November 2021 ; (282 days)
Location	Bulgaria Sofia – main protest site;; Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna, Blagoevgrad, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Kyustendil, Lovech, Vratsa, Haskovo, Pazardzhik, Ruse, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Yambol, Karlovo, Stara Zagora, Bankya;; Abroad – London, Oxford, Exeter, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Berlin, Cologne, Nuremberg, Munich, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Hamburg, Münster, The Hague, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Milan, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Istanbul, Ankara, Barcelona, Madrid, Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and others;
Caused by	Prosecutor's Office raiding the Presidency of Bulgaria; Government mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic; Ahmed Dogan and Delyan Peevski being guarded by the National Service for Protection; Political corruption and misuse of EU funds; State capture; Lack of media freedom and transparency; Lack of adequate environmental protection; Systemic electoral fraud;
Goals	Resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the Bulgarian government (until April 4, 2021); Court trial and imprisonment of Boyko Borisov; Resignation of Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev; Resignation of BNT Director General Emil Koshlukov; Resignation of Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova; Early parliamentary elections; Constitutional amendment;
Methods	Demonstrations; Sit-ins; Occupations; Photobombing; Online activism; Picketing; Road blocks and barricades; Motorcades; Hunger strikes; Riots (on 2 September);
Status	Ended A no-confidence motion brought in by the Socialist Party is defeated in the National Assembly (21 July); The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria unanimously rules that Chief Prosecutor Geshev is not allowed to investigate the incumbent President (30 July); Police forces storm and dismantle the road blocks and tent camps across the country (7 August); Most road blocks reestablished by demonstrators (10 August); Six NSS agents disciplined for their actions on the Rosenets beach (10 August); Minister for Justice and Central Electoral Commission Chairwoman resign (26–27 August); 2021–2023 Bulgarian political crisis;
Concessions	Head of National Service for Protection resigned (10 July); Resignation of 3 government ministers offered, later withdrawn (Offered 15 July, withdrawn 16 July); Government reshuffle (23 July); Government announces 2 billion lev stimulus package (27 July); The GERB faction in Burgas city council votes a resolution to renationalize the street leading to Rosenets beach (27 July); The government announces a second social package (12 August); Limited constitutional amendment proposed by the government (14 August);
Parties
President of Bulgaria; ; Anti-government demonstrators; Anti-government ; Political Parties Bulgarian Socialist Party (in Parliament) ; Ataka (in Parliament, since August 2020) ; Communist Party of Bulgaria (in Parliament) ; Stand Up.BG ; Democratic Bulgaria ; There Is Such a People ; Revival ; ABV ; Bulgaria for Citizens Movement ; Bulgarian Left Republicans for Bulgaria (GERB defectors) ; Labour Unions and Institutions Confederation of Independent Trade Unions ; Autonomous Workers' Confederation ; Bulgarian Judges Association ; Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association ; Bulgarian Academy of Sciences ; Groups & NGOs the Poisonous trio – PR expert Arman Babikyan, lawyer Nikolay Hadzhigenov and sculptor Velislav Minekov ; Save Sofia ; BOEC ; Civic Platform Stand Up.BG ; Justice for Everyone Initiative ; The System Kills Us ;	Government of Bulgaria GERB (Ruling party, coalition leader) Pro-Government ; Political Parties VMRO (in Parliament) ; NFSB (in Parliament) ; Volya (in Parliament) ; SDS ; Ataka (until August 2020); ; DPS (own course after September 2020) ; Organizations KRIB ;
Lead figures
	No officially designated leaders, endorsed by the following public figures: the Poisonous trio - PR expert Arman Babikyan, lawyer Nikolay Hadzhigenov and sculptor Velislav Minekov ; Rumen Radev; (President of Bulgaria); Hristo Ivanov; Maya Manolova; Tatyana Doncheva; Reneta Indzhova; Slavi Trifonov; Kostadin Kostadinov; Vasil Bozhkov Tsvetan Tsvetanov (Republicans for Bulgaria chairman) Boyko Borisov; (Prime Minister, GERB leader); Yordanka Fandakova; (Mayor of Sofia); Ivan Geshev; (General Prosecutor); Emil Koshlukov; (BNT Director General); Kiril Domuschiev ; (KRIB chairman); ; Support by public figures:; Rosen Plevneliev; Georgi Gergov; Mustafa Karadaya ; (DPS chairman); Ahmed Dogan ; (Honorary DPS chairman); Delyan Peevski
Number
150,000 protesters in Sofia; Tens of thousands concurrent outside of Sofia; 400,000 nationwide total; Thousands outside of Bulgaria;
Casualties
Death	0
Injuries	More than 200
Arrested	Hundreds

A series of protests were held from 2020 to 2021 in Bulgaria, mainly in the capital Sofia, as well as cities with a large Bulgarian diaspora, such as Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin and London. The protests, sometimes called "Revolution of Dignity", were the culmination of long-standing grievances against endemic corruption and state capture, particularly associated with prime minister Boyko Borisov's governments, in power since 2009.

Spontaneous demonstrations were triggered by the 9 July 2020 raid on the Presidency of Bulgaria by police and prosecutors in what was perceived as an attack against President Rumen Radev, a vocal critic of Borisov's rule.

Borisov has refused to resign, insisting that the "mafia wants to overthrow him" and that "no alternatives" to his rule have been presented. His ministers, deputies and parliamentary allies have labelled protesters "scum", "apes" and a "herd" which must be "put back in its place".

The protests ended on 16 April 2021, as the 4-year term of Borisov's cabinet has ended, and the formal resignation of the 3rd Borisov government has been accepted by the new parliament.