Civic Protest In Bulgaria Turns Violent, 33 Hurt

January 14, 2009 9:48 p.m. EST

Sofia, Bulgaria (AHN) - Thirty-three people, including a dozen police officers, were injured when protesters clashed with police outside the Bulgarian parliament in Sofia on Wednesday.

Police arrested 154 protesters, who were demanding the resignation of lawmakers and corrupt government officials, Bulgaria's interior ministry said in a statement. A 15-year-old boy was among those arrested for possession of three home-made bombs.

About 1,000 college students, environmentalists, and farmers joined the rally in front of the parliament building while a similar number of police were on guard.

Masked hooligans provoked the clash by throwing stones and snowballs at police officers and trying to break through the police cordon. The police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

The organizer of the rally, called the Association for Development and Civic Control, said it will hold another rally Thursday.