Protesters threw fruit at the convoy of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Varna. The incident took place in front of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, where the two arrived during von der Leyen’s working visit to Bulgaria.
The demonstration was organized at the initiative of the Vazrazhdane party under the slogan “Varna wants peace, not war.” Participants carried Bulgarian and party flags, while the slogans included “Varna wants peace,” “NATO out,” and “We want our children to live in peace.” The protesters also chanted, “Ursula, you are not welcome.”
A police cordon prevented the demonstrators from reaching the vehicles, but several people managed to throw fruit at them. BNT also reported that vegetables and eggs had been thrown at the convoy. The discrepancy in the description of the objects was reported differently by the individual media outlets.
The protesters demanded that Bulgaria not be drawn into an armed conflict and that the President of the European Commission leave the country. Von der Leyen’s visit was dedicated to security in the Black Sea. Her program included a visit to the Naval Academy, a meeting with Prime Minister Rumen Radev at the Euxinograd Residence, and a joint briefing.
Sources: news.bg, bntnews.bg, bgonair.bg