Meanwhile in Sao Paulo and Sofia....

Brazilian cities rocked by violent clashes

Demonstrations against rising public transport fares turn ugly with Brazil in the international spotlight

RT,

15 June, 2013

Protesters in Brazil have promised more organised action following clashes in which police in Sao Paulo set upon thousands of young demonstrators angered by rises in bus and subway fares.

Newspapers carried photos of bloodied protesters and journalists with battered, swollen faces, a young couple being beaten by police and videos of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets being fired into crowds chanting "no violence!" Protesters set fire to garbage bags piled in streets, broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on buildings and buses.

Protest organisers said more than 100 demonstrators were injured. Police would say only that 12 officers were hurt and more than 230 detained and later released in the Thursday night demonstrations in Sao Paulo.

There were similar protests in Rio de Janeiro, the capital Brasilia and in Porte Alegre in the south of the country.

The conflicts come just as the Confederations Cup football tournament opens and the nation prepares to host Pope Francis next month on his first international trip as pontiff.

The focus of the protests is a 10-cent rise in public transport fares. Protesters said the seemingly small increase released pent-up frustrations.

"It's about much more than those 10 cents. It's about a society that is sick of corrupt politicians not making good on their promises to make improvements," said Bruno Bisaglia, 24, who was gathering video testimony about the protests. "We want decent education, healthcare and transportation. That's what this fight is all about."

Sao Paulo's mayor, Fernando Haddad, said individual police officers "must be investigated" for using excessive force.

"Police always follow protocols. When these are followed, things go smoothly," Haddad told Globo TV. "But, according to images divulged by the press, the police yesterday apparently did not follow protocols, which is why the public safety department has ordered an investigation."

Sao Paulo state governor Geraldo Alckmin, who has authority over the police, told Globo an investigation was under way. But he defended the officers, saying that "police are obliged to protect the population and guarantee the right to come and go. We are always open to dialogue ... but will never tolerate vandalism."

Alckmin said the government has invited protest leaders for talks but that the protesters "don't want dialogue, they prefer monologues".

Police colonel Reinaldo Simoes Rossi, responsible for the officers policing the protest in Sao Paulo, said force was used only after demonstrators had altered an agreed route, instead moving toward main avenues in an attempt to halt traffic. He also said protesters hurled stones and other objects at police.

"The police guarantee the right to demonstrate, however it must also ensure the rights of the entire population, including the right to come and go. Any statements to the effect that police encouraged violence are completely unfounded," the police department said in a statement on Friday.

In the nation's capital, Brasilia, about 200 people burned tires and blocked the main road in front of the city's football stadium, which will host the Confederations Cup opener between Brazil on Japan on Saturday.

The protest was organised by local groups complaining of excessive costs of the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. Black smoke rose up near the stadium as protesters held aloft banners criticising the local government.

The road was opened again in the early afternoon.

Bulgaria Protesters Undetered by New Security Head Promises

New protest rallies are planned Saturday evening in Bulgaria against the election of a controversial young MP as security chief even though he claims he is ready to step down.

Novinte,

15 June, 2013

The protest in Sofia Saturday evening will be held once again in front of the Council of Ministers.

More than 63 000 people have signed the rally Facebook page so far, saying they will join the protests scheduled for 18.30 in the bigger cities.

Just hours earlier on Saturday Delyan Peevski, a controversial media tycoon and member of parliament from the ethnic Turkish party, sent a letter to all media in Bulgaria to announce he was ready to withdraw from the post of Head of Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security (DANS).

"I accepted to carry out the duties of DANS Head on behalf of Bulgarian citizens. Again on their behalf, I am ready to accept a decision of the 42nd General Assembly to revoke my election. This act is a show of our shared responsibility – mine, of Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, and the leaders of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, Sergey Stanishev and Lyutvi Mestan," Peevski writes in the letter.

The surprise appointment of Delyan Peevski to head Bulgaria's powerful national security agency DANS on Friday drew fury from the president and brought thousands of protesters to the streets.

Large protest rallies were held Friday evening in Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Pazardzhik, Blagoevgrad, and Shumen among others.

According to official data of the police, over 10 000 gathered in the capital.

The rally in Sofia was held under strong police presence with key buildings – of the presidential administration, the government and the parliament, surrounded by metal fences.

Nova TV reported that cell phones have been silenced and internet communication has been very difficult.

Former GERB Regional Minister, Lilyana Pavlova, and former GERB Economy and Energy Minister, Delyan Dobrev, have been spotted among the demonstrators, despite Borisov's "order" banning attendance of popular GERB figures.

Former leader of the right-wing party Union of Democratic Forces, UDF, Martin Dimitrov, also joined the rally, which was reported as peaceful and without incidents.

Demonstrators from all ages, including families with small children, people with their pets, and groups of young people held banners, blew whistles, waved the national colors, and shouted against the mafia, Oresharski, and the leader of BSP, Sergey Stanishev.

The rally later moved to the Parliament and later to the key Eagles' Bridge intersection, which was blocked by the demonstrators.

They did not allow a crew of TV7, a media linked to Peevski, to broadcast footage from the protest, forcing them to move to the balcony of a nearby hotel.

Around 10 pm, the protesting people split with a few staying on Eagles' Bridge and the others returning to the parliament.

The rally ended around midnight Friday.

On Friday, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev canceled his participation in the inauguration of the second Danube Bridge linking Bulgaria and Romania after the shocking election.

He criticized it strongly and urged the parliament to "immediately" retract its decision.

Speaking on public TV Friday evening, the President reiterated his outrage from the move and confirmed he has lifted his trust from the Cabinet "Oresharski."