Is your turmoil like my turmoil?

While Greek anarchists protested against the police, in Bulgaria it was the police themselves who protested. Bulgarian law forbids strikes by the armed forces or security sector, so on Saturday morning, 13 December, police officers gathered in huge numbers near the Interior Ministry “to light a cigarette.” They demanded a Christmas bonus, higher salaries, and better working conditions. An ordinary officer receives 300 to 500 euros monthly and often goes to work carrying his own laptop. A dialogue started and the ambitious new minister, Michail Mikov, promised reform, but the police came back a week later with a twist on the smoking event. They drank cold water, a traditional gesture of defeat.

Just as Greek anarchists were eventually joined by farmers protesting the allocation of funds in the state budget, so Bulgarian corn farmers decided to voice their disapproval of the budget. On 19 December, they jumped on their tractors and drove into downtown Sofia to demand higher subsidies. Dairy farmers joined in over an ongoing dispute with the government about subsidies. Environmental activists also arrived, protesting a new forestry law because they think it threatens protected natural reserves. Finally, a peaceful student march formed: 20-year-old Stoyan Baltov had been killed a week earlier by drunken youngsters in a part of the city that had been envisioned as a student quarter but has degenerated into a compound of bars, discos, casinos, drug dealers, and shady characters.

~ more... ~