Protesting students at Bulgaria's Sofia University have decided to permanently occupy the entire central building of the school until the resignation of PM Plamen Oresharski.

Saturday the entrances to the building in downtown Sofia were chained, with no one let in, except students and professors who want to join the protest. An exception was made for participants in a competition for the hiring of regional prosecutors, which was scheduled to take place in the building Saturday.

Although the occupiers have vowed to stop all classes scheduled in the building, the occupation is not directed against university authorities.

Protesters have vowed to respect the property and to ensure order in the premises. They also said they will allow access to a limited number of administrators to ensure that vital processes in the university will not be halted.

Students have also called for the dissolution of the current parliament, and the calling of new early general elections. They issued a declaration denouncing what they called "the systematic breach of constitutional order in the country."

They also called for "intolerance on the part of the body politic towards the widespread criminal lawlessness at the highest levels of state government."

The occupy movement at Sofia University flared last Wednesday, when students interrupted a regular lecture of Dimitar Tokushev, chair of Bulgaria's Constitutional Court and professor at the university.

Students demanded explanation from Tokushev regarding the Court's decision to confirm the status of controversial media mogul Delyan Peevski as a Minister of Parliament.

On June 14, Peevski was elected and sworn in as chair of Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security, a highly controversial move that sent thousands into the streets in protests which have continued since.

As a result of the public pressure, Peevski resigned the next day, leaving his status as MP unclear. On October 8, the Constitutional Court formally decided that Peevski has retained his status as MP and can return to Bulgaria's Parliament.

On Friday, the Faculty of Philosophy at the university became the first body of the institution to adopt a formal declaration in support of the blockade. During the Faculty's general assembly, faculty members tabled a support declaration, which was adopted by a large majority.

Although many individual professors at Bulgaria's oldest institution of higher learning have already stated they support the protest, this is the first official declaration issued by a unit at the university.

Student activists on Friday were distributing leaflets in the university's central building in downtown Sofia, explaining the goals and the reasons for the student occupation.

"We are extremely grateful to the Faculty of Philosophy. We urge other schools to follow it!" the organizers' Facebook group "Early Birds" posted on its page.

It was reported earlier that over 30 teachers - most of them professors at Sofia University and the New Bulgarian University - have signed in support of the students' occupation.

Students occupied the largest lecture hall, 272, at the Law Faculty of Sofia University on Wednesday and were joined Thursday by students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, and the Journalism Faculty.

Classes in the occupied lecture halls are cancelled. Students also declared the blockade will be permanent until their demands for fair and transparent politics are met.

Although the occupy movement at the University is represented by a small minority, it is vocal and gaining the attention of some faculty members and other students alike.

Originally published by Novinite

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