1,000 Bulgarian nationalists protest against government plans to adopt euro currency

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Police in Bulgaria’s capital clashed with nationalist protesters Saturday who demanded that the government scrap plans to bring the country into the eurozone.

About 1,000 protesters gathered in front of the Sofia office of the European Commission, which is the European Union's executive branch, and began throwing red paint and firecrackers at the building. A door was eventually set ablaze.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene as well as police reinforcements, who pushed back the protesters. Police said that several demonstrators had been arrested, while some officers had been injured during the clashes.

The protest, organized by the pro-Russia nationalists of the Vazrazhdane party, began earlier on Saturday outside the headquarters of the Bulgarian National Bank.

The protesters demanded that the government resign, while waving national and party flags and chanting “No to the euro” and “Yes to the Bulgarian lev," the country's currency.

“I am here to defend Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people,” Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov told journalists.

He said that his party was demanding a referendum to decide on entry to the 20-member eurozone.

“If there is no referendum, we will block the work of the National Assembly,” said Kostadinov, whose party is the third largest in parliament.

Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, has been plagued by political instability over the last several years. The new government, which was formed last month, has made eurozone membership a key priority.

Not everyone, however, is convinced that Bulgaria is ready to join the eurozone. On the one hand, there are some economists who claim that the country lacks an acceptable degree of economic condition to join the eurozone, and it's not ready yet to adopt the single currency.

But the government, backed by other pro-European parties in parliament, stresses also the political importance of adoption as another step to deepen European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.

Trying to distract the country from this objective, pro-Russia nationalists are gearing up for more heated battles using disinformation as an effective tool to spread fear among people.