Dozens of people were arrested, beaten and injured in the evening of the 56th day of tens of thousands-strong anti-government protests. Between 90,000 and 110,000 Bulgarians gathered to demand the resignations of the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and of chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev.

The protest, which began in the morning, escalated steadily during the day.

In the evening, when more people gathered to protest, 30 suspected provocateurs started throwing smoke balls and fireworks, further elevating tensions.

At one point, the live stream of blogger Yvo Bojkov showed how the police started attacking protesters, pushing them away. People were falling on the ground. The gendarmery also brought water cannon and used pepper spray and tear gas against protesters.

Although the situation has calmed down, live streams showed the police arresting dozens of people. Protesters said they were hit while trying to help people who had fallen. Also, they reported cases of excessive police violence, claiming that many policemen were beating harmless protesters who had already been disabled.

Among those arrested was Borislav Sandov, co-chair of the Green Movement party, one of the parties comprising the opposition non-parliamentary coalition Democratic Bulgaria.

After midnight, the situation started calming down, and the police started removing their helmets and shields. However, many protesters were still on the streets.

Bulgaria has been rocked by the biggest political crisis since 2013 with hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians taking to the streets of the capital Sofia and several other towns for nearly two months, accusing Borissov and Geshev of corruption and dependence on murky businesses and politicians.

Meanwhile, at the opening of the parliament’s session, President Rumen Radev once again urged the government to step down, while the ruling coalition left the hall during his speech.

The ethnic-Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which is believed to have unofficial yet strong influence over Borissov’s government, also demanded the government’s resignation. The party called on Radev to step down too and for an expert government to be put in place.

The DPS’ move was seen as a clear signal that the government will fall. A few days earlier, the party also said it will not back Gerb’s initiative for a new constitution and a Supreme National Assembly.

The government and Geshev are accused by the protesters of being involved with the DPS, its chairman of honour Ahmed Dogan and party member and controversial businessman Delyan Peevski, all of whom have become synonyms of corruption and murky deals between corrupt business and the ruling institutions.

While protesters were getting angrier, the ruling Gerb announced on September 2 it has gathered the necessary support from MPs to table to parliament its proposal to make constitutional changes and call a Supreme National Assembly.

Many saw in this move yet another attempt by the party to stall and divert attention from the demanded resignations.

The leader of Gerb’s parliamentary group Daniela Daritkova said that the party’s proposal was backed by its coalition partners, the far-right United Patriots, as well as by the small opposition Volya party and several independent MPs.

The news of Volya’s support provoked anger as protesters suggested it was traded in exchange for a lucrative concession deal.

The ruling party will table the proposal for constitutional changes to parliament and debates on it can start no earlier than in two months and can last no more than three months.