anti-government protests demonstrations
Anti-Government Protests
Vocabulary
| let up | root (3) | across (2) |
| give up | against | government |
| rally | spread | demonstration |
| outrage | humiliate | (re)shuffle |
| lie | protest | constantly |
| fed up | accuse | corruption |
| refuse | deep (2) | poor/poorer/the poorest |
| cancer | last (3) | feel/felt/felt (2) |
| role | take over | lead/led/led |
| athlete | racketeer | take/took/taken |
| effort | appease | competitive (2) |
| pledge | promise | sweep/swept/swept (2) |
| sack (2) | major (2) | cabinet (2) |
| key (2) | demand | step down (2) |
| critic | property | resignation |
| resign | residence | demand (2) |
| scandal | public (2) | prosecutor |
| raid | incident | minority (2) |
| aide | unleash | private (2) |
| ex- | order (3) | guarantee |
| access | wave (4) | majority (2) |
| land (2) | right (5) | survive (2) |
| vote | term (3) | confidence (2) |
| vow |
Video: Anti-Government Protests II
Transcript
These Bulgarians refuse to let up. For weeks now they have been rallying in the streets to protests against Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his government.
Now the demonstrations have spread to several major cities across Bulgaria.
Emiliya, Protesters: “The people up there have more rights than we do. They lie and humiliate us constantly. That’s why we are here.”
The protesters, mostly young people, are fed up with the government. They accuse Borisov and his government of corruption.
Bulgaria is one of the poorest EU countries. And many people here feel the problem is much more deeper rooted.
Peter Detlev, History Professor: “Things have been going wrong in Bulgaria for the last thirty years. Today’s leaders are the cancer of the nineties (1990s), when their leading roles were taken over by protection racketeers and former competitive athletes.
Today the same people are in power.”
In an effort to appease the protesters, Prime Minister Borisov has promised sweeping changes, pledging to sack key ministers and reshuffle the cabinet.
But critics are demanding that the entire government step down.
Stefan, Demonstrator: “We demand his resignation because he is part of the whole machinery.
What happened on Dogan’s beach is why I’m here. It is scandalous that public property has suddenly become private.”
The protests started on July ninth, (9 July 2020) after police and prosecutors raided the offices of the president’s top aides.
Two days earlier, Hristo Ivanov of the minority Democratic Bulgaria Party and two other men landed a small boat on a beach, close to the private residence of an ex-politician, Ahmet Dogan.
They were ordered to leave, despite the law guaranteeing public access to the beach.
The incident unleashed a wave of outrage.
On Tuesday, the government survived a fifth vote of no confidence.
Despite the protests, Borisov has vowed to complete this third four-year term in office, which ends in March 2021.
Questions
Protest, Demonstration. In the report, there was a one-day demonstration in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. True or false?
Prosecute. According to observers, does the government represent the people and serve the public?
Vote, Elect. Does Bulgaria have a highly-developed, advanced economy.
Tax, Collect Revenue. Corruption in Bulgaria began after it had joined the European Union in 2007. Is this right or wrong?
Budget. Has Prime Minister Boyko Borisov denied allegations of corruption and announced he would maintain the status quo? Are the protesters satisfied with his decision?
Allocate. What triggered the demonstrations? What sparked the protests?
Nationalize. Do people consider politicians to be above the law? Do they think they have special privileges?
Privatize. Corruption is a major concern or problem in my town, city and country. Yes or no?
Legalize. Can you give examples of corrupt practices?
Ban, Forbid, Prohibit. How do people feel about corruption? What do they think and say about it? Are there lots of debates and discussions about it?
Pass, Approve. Why is there corruption? Why does corruption exist?
Arrest, Charge. What might happen in the future?
Arraign, Incriminate. What changes would people like to see? What are the solutions to corruption?
