Bulgaria's Crisis: Poverty Protests

In February Bulgaria's unemployment went above 12% which is the highest it has been since 2005. Also, over 22% of Bulgaria's population lives below the poverty line. These statistics are merely numbers that may not mean anything to but it means everything to the people living in Bulgaria. The people here blame the government system for their country’s poverty so they are acting out in extreme ways as protest. For example, it has become almost common for people to set themselves on fire to show their hatred for the government. In fact, an average of 7.4 self-immolations occur each year. We can see in this example that the government has not been doing anything to help their citizens to improve their quality of living and current issues at hand. Due to this there is extreme poverty which results in desperate demonstrations such as self-immolations. Do you think this is an effective way to protest the government? Why or why not? What can the government do to stop these demonstrations and improve their country’s well being? Kjerstin Williams and Tate Green Period 5 Sofia. "Bulgaria's Crisis: Poverty Protests." The Economist 406.8828 (1843): 60. Web.