Riot police in Bulgaria have ended a blockade of the parliament set up by the country’s anti-corruption protesters in the capital, Sofia

Riot police in Bulgaria have ended a blockade of the parliament set up by the country’s anti-corruption protesters in the capital, Sofia.

The police broke up the blockade on Wednesday, escorting out more than 100 ministers, lawmakers, and journalists, who had been trapped inside the parliament building for several hours.

Reports say that Bulgaria’s finance and labor ministers, other lawmakers from the ruling Socialist party, and partners from the Turkish minority MRF movement, were among the first to be escorted out of the parliament building.

Others were escorted out after heavy construction machinery started to remove benches and garbage canisters used by the protesters to block the parliament building.

The protesters were also calling for the resignation of the country’s socialist-led government.

On late Tuesday, police attempted to disperse thousands of the protesters who had gathered to blockade the parliament building. Clashes ensued the police intervention. At least eight protesters and two policemen were injured.

Several arrests were also made in the European Union’s poorest country.

“Order must be guaranteed. Lawmakers cannot be turned into targets, their life and health cannot be put in danger,” Parliamentary speaker Mihail Mikov said.

Protests in Bulgaria began on June 14 after the appointment of controversial and inexperienced media mogul Delyan Peevski as chief of Bulgaria’s National Security Agency (DANS).

Last month, 60 prominent Bulgarian intellectuals, including lawyers, journalists, political analysts, sociologists, and human rights activists, issued a special declaration against “plutocracy” in the country.

New Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski withdrew Peevski’s nomination immediately after the protests erupted.

However, the protests spread and turned into anti-government demonstrations.