Sofia, Bulgaria - December 01, 2025 A video filmed by X user the_convict captures the explosive youth-led anti-government protests that erupted across Bulgaria on December 1, 2025. Tens of thousands flooded the streets in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas against the 2026 draft budget with steep tax hikes, higher social security contributions, and alleged “thefts” benefiting corrupt elites. The footage centers on the evening rally in Sofia’s Alexander Battenberg Square, also known as Knyaz Alexander I Square, a cobblestone plaza at the foot of the neo-Baroque Bulgarian Parliament. Its yellow-and-white facade and towering dome blaze with warm floodlights under a deep navy sky, with light snow flurries adding a harsh winter edge. Historic wings with ornate stone arches, columns, and balconies glow on both sides, while blue-lit Christmas garlands and snowflake motifs sparkle from lamp posts. The festive decor clashes with the rising anger of the crowd. From ground level, a handheld wide-angle shot pans across a shoulder-to-shoulder mass of demonstrators, with up to 50,000 in Sofia alone. Fired-up teens and 20-somethings, mobilized via TikTok and Instagram, stand bundled in puffy jackets, beanies, scarves, and backpacks. Some talk and gesture animatedly, others stand with fists raised or hands jammed in pockets. Small Bulgarian flags and protest signs target tycoons like Delyan Peevski and ex-prime minister Boyko Borissov over alleged greed and mafia ties. Banners read “Generation Z is Coming,” “Young Bulgaria Without the Mafia,” “We Will Not Be Robbed,” and “Resignation!” The slogans echo demands for the GERB-led coalition to step down amid chronic political instability, including seven snap elections since the 2020 anti-corruption uprising, and just weeks before euro adoption on January 1. Security in black suits and earpieces guard the barricades, while suited clergy move through the crowd. A dramatic red-orange flare streaks overhead from off-screen, likely a signal from the We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition. It casts an eerie glow over determined faces as faint audio picks up murmurs, chants, and shuffling footsteps. Later, the night turns violent with clashes involving masked agitators, tear gas, 10 arrests, and vandalism at GERB’s headquarters. On December 2, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov fully withdraws the budget, and President Rumen Radev issues a call for his resignation. There is no on-screen text or narration in the clip, only the street-level thrum of Bulgaria’s pushback against austerity and entrenched power.