Bulgarian nationalists protest over government plans to adopt euro currency
The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states'.
The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive the green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone.
Demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria'.
An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful.
Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains one of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability which has fuelled 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 the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power.
The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused him of acting in favour of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, which is aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
26 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election
The close race had the country on edge since a first-round two weeks earlier and through the night into Monday, revealing deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. An early exit poll released on Sunday evening suggested Mr Trzaskowski was headed to victory before updated polling began to reverse the picture hours later. Presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, a liberal pro-European Union figure, addresses supporters at his headquarters (AP/Petr David Josek) The outcome indicates that Poland can be expected to take a more nationalist path under its new leader, who was backed by US President Donald Trump. Most day-to-day power in the Polish political system rests with a prime minister chosen by the parliament. However, the president's role is not merely ceremonial. The office holds the power to influence foreign policy and to veto legislation. Nawrocki will succeed Andrzej Duda, a conservative whose second and final term ends on August 6. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk came to power in late 2023 at the end of a coalition government that spans a broad ideological divide — so broad that it hasn't been able to fulfil certain of Mr Tusk's electoral promises, such as loosening the restrictive abortion law. But Mr Duda's veto power has been another obstacle. It has prevented Mr Tusk from fulfilling promises to reverse laws that politicised the court system in a way that the European Union declared to be undemocratic. Now it appears Mr Tusk will have no way to fulfil those promises, which he had made both to voters and to the EU. Mr Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian, was tapped by the Law and Justice party as part of its push for a fresh start. The party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, when it lost power to a centrist coalition led by Mr Tusk. Some political observers predicted the party would never make a comeback, and Mr Nawrocki was chosen as a new face who would not be burned by the scandals of the party's eight years of rule. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem meets with Poland's conservative presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki (AP/Alex Brandon, Pool) Mr Nawrocki's supporters describe him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values. Those who oppose secular trends, including LGBTQ+ visibility, have embraced him, viewing him as a reflection of the traditional values they grew up with. Mr Trump made it clear he wanted Mr Nawrocki as Poland's president. The conservative group Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) held its first meeting in Poland last week to give Mr Nawrocki a boost. Kristi Noem, the US Homeland Security secretary and a prominent ally of Mr Trump, strongly praised Mr Nawrocki and urged Poles to vote for him. The US has about 10,000 troops stationed in Poland and Ms Noem suggested that military ties could deepen with Mr Nawrocki as president. A common refrain from Mr Nawrocki's supporters is that he will restore 'normality,' as they believe Mr Trump has done. US flags often appeared at Mr Nawrocki's rallies, and his supporters believed that he offered a better chance for good ties with the Trump administration.
Metro
29 minutes ago
- Metro
Six people injured in petrol bomb and flamethrower attack at pro-Israel rally
Six people were injured in a 'targeted terror attack' when a man used a makeshift flamethrower to set fire to people at a pro-Israel event in Colorado. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled 'Free Palestine' at an outdoor mall in Boulder, where a group had gathered to raise attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The suspect was taken into custody and the FBI has said although no charges were immediately announced, but officials said they expect to hold him 'fully accountable'. The attack occurred at a popular pedestrian mall in Boulder, where a group had gathered for an event to draw attention to Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. Injuries ranged from serious to minor. The suspect was also injured and was taken to the hospital to be treated, but authorities did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries. Video from the scene showed a witness shouting, 'He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails,' as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on a bare-chested suspect with containers in each hand. It occurred more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled: 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza' as he was being led away by police. FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department, which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations, decried the attack as a 'needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans'. 'This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it,' FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said in a post on X. Israel's war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people in Hamas-run Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90% of the population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. Police in Boulder were more circumspect about a motive. Police Chief Steve Redfearn said it 'would be irresponsible for me to speculate' while witnesses were still being interviewed but noted that the group that had gathered in support of the hostages had assembled peacefully and that injuries of the victims – ranging from serious to minor – were consistent with them having been set on fire. More Trending The violence comes four years after a shooting rampage at a grocery store in Boulder, about 25 miles northwest of Denver, that killed four people. The gunman was sentenced to life in prison for murder after a jury rejected his attempt to avoid prison time by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. The scene shortly after the attack was tense, as law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the public to stay clear of the pedestrian mall. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that he was 'closely monitoring' the situation, adding that 'hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Urgent recall of 256,000 pounds of canned beef stew over fears they contain wood pieces MORE: Trump reveals if he's willing to pardon ex-pal Diddy if convicted of sex trafficking MORE: Biden jokes he 'can beat the hell out of' authors on his decline after cancer diagnosis
South Wales Argus
31 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election
Mr Nawrocki won 50.89% of the votes in a very tight race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%. The close race had the country on edge since a first-round two weeks earlier and through the night into Monday, revealing deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. An early exit poll released on Sunday evening suggested Mr Trzaskowski was headed to victory before updated polling began to reverse the picture hours later. Presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, a liberal pro-European Union figure, addresses supporters at his headquarters (AP/Petr David Josek) The outcome indicates that Poland can be expected to take a more nationalist path under its new leader, who was backed by US President Donald Trump. Most day-to-day power in the Polish political system rests with a prime minister chosen by the parliament. However, the president's role is not merely ceremonial. The office holds the power to influence foreign policy and to veto legislation. Nawrocki will succeed Andrzej Duda, a conservative whose second and final term ends on August 6. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk came to power in late 2023 at the end of a coalition government that spans a broad ideological divide — so broad that it hasn't been able to fulfil certain of Mr Tusk's electoral promises, such as loosening the restrictive abortion law. But Mr Duda's veto power has been another obstacle. It has prevented Mr Tusk from fulfilling promises to reverse laws that politicised the court system in a way that the European Union declared to be undemocratic. Now it appears Mr Tusk will have no way to fulfil those promises, which he had made both to voters and to the EU. Mr Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian, was tapped by the Law and Justice party as part of its push for a fresh start. The party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, when it lost power to a centrist coalition led by Mr Tusk. Some political observers predicted the party would never make a comeback, and Mr Nawrocki was chosen as a new face who would not be burned by the scandals of the party's eight years of rule. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem meets with Poland's conservative presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki (AP/Alex Brandon, Pool) Mr Nawrocki's supporters describe him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values. Those who oppose secular trends, including LGBTQ+ visibility, have embraced him, viewing him as a reflection of the traditional values they grew up with. Mr Trump made it clear he wanted Mr Nawrocki as Poland's president. The conservative group Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) held its first meeting in Poland last week to give Mr Nawrocki a boost. Kristi Noem, the US Homeland Security secretary and a prominent ally of Mr Trump, strongly praised Mr Nawrocki and urged Poles to vote for him. The US has about 10,000 troops stationed in Poland and Ms Noem suggested that military ties could deepen with Mr Nawrocki as president. A common refrain from Mr Nawrocki's supporters is that he will restore 'normality,' as they believe Mr Trump has done. US flags often appeared at Mr Nawrocki's rallies, and his supporters believed that he offered a better chance for good ties with the Trump administration.
