The demonstration outside the parliament building in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Monday afternoon was so big that it was hard to squeeze through the crowd.
Although most people on the streets in Sofia were young, people of all ages were in attendance: from small children perched on their parents’ shoulders to pensioners.
“I never thought so many people would come out,” one police officer was overheard saying to another as they stood on a small street packed with protesters near the main square.
Young people are the driving force
By the late afternoon, it felt as if everyone on the streets of Sofia was walking in the same direction — toward the parliament building on Independence Square.
It was the same in the public transport system, too: the crowds were so big that people could barely fit on the subway platforms or get on the trains heading downtown.
Men and women carrying Bulgarian and EU flags could be seen getting off buses and streetcars at stops across the city center.
A big screen set up in the square was showing videos and memes that poked fun at politicians. This, the music being played and the flash mobs that popped up were evidence that young people were the driving force behind this protest.
“I’ve never seen a protest by this Gen Z,” said one slightly older protester. And right on cue, people nearby started chanting: “Gen Z won’t stay silent!”
But what exactly are the young people unhappy about?
Opposition to the 2026 budget
The protests, which began last week, are directed against the government’s proposed budget for 2026, which indicated that both social security contributions and taxes would be increased.
Employer organizations and trade unions labeled it “the worst budget in 30 years.”
Last Wednesday, thousands took to the streets of Sofia to protest.
After the protest, Boyko Borissov, former prime minister and leader of the ruling center-right GERB party, announced that the government would withdraw the budget. A few days later, however, the decision was reversed.
Many young people were furious about the reversal, and discontent across the country grew.
Increased debate on social media
The anger was obvious on social media, where topics such as democracy, corruption in Bulgaria, low wages for young doctors (who are leaving the country en masse) and the lack of press freedom began trending.
High-profile singers, actors and influencers began calling on people to show their discontent and take part in the protest.
More and more young people began taking to the streets. For many, this was their first protest.
Sofia, a medical student, said that she’s not asking for much, just a reason to stay in Bulgaria. “For me, it’s very important to stay here and help, but at this point, I’m not sure conditions will allow it,” she told DW.
Each of the protesters has their own cause. Some are furious about the budget, others are passionate about the state of education and healthcare in the country, others are angry about the large pay rise for police, and others just want “Boyko and Peevski to go,” as Vasil, a young protester, explained to DW.
Who are Borissov and Peevski?
Boyko Borissov spent three terms as Bulgaria’s prime minister, his last term ending in 2021. Since the last election in October 2024, his party has been back in power.
Although a member of the ruling GERB party, Borissov is neither prime minister nor even a minister in the government. Nevertheless, he makes all important announcements on behalf of the government and is widely seen as the man pulling the strings. And he does so quite openly.
Oligarch Delyan Peevski, who has been the target of much ire on social media, is currently sanctioned by both the US and the UK. Although his party, DPS – Novo Nachalo (New Beginning), is not officially part of the ruling coalition, he is not without influence as his party’s votes are needed by the minority coalition to secure a majority in parliament.
Protesters blame Borissov and Peevski for corruption and nepotism in all areas of public life and the lack of an independent judiciary, both of which have made Bulgaria a target of criticism from human rights organizations and the European Commission for years.
Bulgaria ranked second last in the EU on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 — just one place above Hungary.
The situation regarding press freedom is similar: Together with Greece and Cyprus, Bulgaria is right at the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders press freedom ranking 2025 for EU countries.
Anger directed at political parties
At about 8 p.m., the growing crowd slowly started to move toward the headquarters of Delyan Peevski’s DPS party.
“Peevski wants to turn our country into something completely non-European,” said Petar, a young man who holds dual Bulgarian-Russian citizenship and is extremely critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. “I don’t want a country like that. And not a single person from my generation wants a country like that,” he told DW as people around him chanted: “When Peevski falls, I don’t want to be underneath him so he doesn’t land on top of me.”
Outrage and understanding
When the crowd reached the offices of DPS, the protest escalated, with police officers facing a barrage of bottles and firecrackers.
Although the group behind the escalation was small, it was very loud and got the most attention from the media outlets reporting on the protest.
“There are 25 boys in hoodies vandalizing things,” said Elisaveta Belobradova, an MP from the opposition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, in a livestream on her Facebook page. “The police could pick them up in exactly one minute, but they are doing nothing.”
Speculation had been circulating online for days that police officers had been instructed to allow provocations in order to discredit the protest. But there were other reasons for the officers’ reticence: “I’m not going to beat anyone,” one officer told DW. “Half the people I know are here at the protest.”
People in the crowd disagreed about the escalation: Some called on the troublemakers to stop, while others, like Simeon, a young man who was not involved in the violence, said “there’s obviously no other way.”
In the course of the evening, an office belonging to GERB was wrecked, trash cans were overturned and set on fire, and two streetcars were damaged.
When the protest was over and calm was restored, one elderly man vented his anger about the country’s politicians: “Is this what I protested for 30 years ago – I didn’t fight for this,” he told DW, referring to the 1996/97 protests against the extremely difficult economic situation in Bulgaria at the time.
“They mustn’t be allowed into parliament, we have to be there every day. Who are they to claim everything is theirs? Who does Peevski think he is?” he said.
What happens next?
On Tuesday, the Bulgarian government announced for the second time that it was withdrawing the budget. On Wednesday afternoon, the parliament voted to repeal the budget proposal.
Nevertheless, this is highly unlikely to quell the anger.
The opposition PP-DB coalition, which called for the protests, is now calling on the government to resign and plans to organize a vote of no confidence on Friday.
The president, Rumen Radev, has criticized the government and called for a snap election. Indeed, many in Bulgaria are convinced that he is preparing to launch his own political project when his second term as president ends in 2026.
Although almost two days have passed since the demonstration, emotions are still running high in Sofia and across Bulgaria. Online preparations for more protests next week are already underway.
These are the largest protests Bulgaria has seen in many years. No matter what their age, the people on the streets all want the same thing: a future in Bulgaria. And this is something they are willing to fight for.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
