Bulgarians protest against high fuel prices

Bulgarians protest against high fuel prices

2011-03-13 23:46:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

SOFIA, BULGARIA (BNO NEWS) -- Tens of thousands of Bulgarians on Sunday protested against high fuel price, FOCUS News Agency reported.

Motorists participated in various protests in Bulgaria's major cities and towns, which were organized online, mainly through Facebook. Protestors demanded lower fuel prices and a lower value added tax on fuel (from 20% to 12%). They claim Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest country, sells the most expensive fuel compared to all European countries.

More than 2,000 cars and motorcycles blocked petrol stations in the southern city of Plovdiv preventing other vehicles from entering the stations. Some of the protestors were filling their tanks with a very small amount of petrol and were washing their car windows, thus delaying any waiting vehicles.

Over 150 vehicles took part in the protest in the northern city of Gabrovo, while more than 300 vehicles, with 4 to 5 persons in them, joined the protest in the coastal city of Burgas. The police presence in the cities stepped up in order to prevent any incidents.

Around 400-500 cars gathered in the northern city of Ruse, where road carriers plan to stage another protest on Monday. Hundreds of people took to the streets in the coastal city of Varna, while around 700 cars and more than 1,000 gathered on a protest in the southern city of Pazardzhuk.

Protesters blocked normal business by repeatedly buying small amounts of petrol as to show that they now pay for fuel with pennies, since these are the real financial means of the citizens, according to the news agency.

In Bulgaria, a litre of diesel on Sunday cost 2.45 Lewa (1.74 dollars), the highest it has been this year.

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