Thousands Bid Farewell to Bulgarian Protest Symbol

36-year-old mountaineer and photographer Plamen Goranov. Photo by Facebook

Thousands of people have gathered in the Bulgarian city of Varna to bid farewell to Plamen Goranov, the man who passed away Sunday after setting himself on fire as a sign of protest against the city's corrupt authorities

A mass is currently being served in the Black Sea city's Saint Petka Church. After that Goranov's remains will be transported to the capital Sofia for cremation as this has been his father's wish.

The mass is not attended by local authorities, according to reporters.

The urn will be returned to Varna by the end of the week and will be placed in the city's central cemetery, but the exact date remains unknown.

Goranov, 36, took the drastic action on February 20, amid a wave of massive protests across the country against poverty, economic stagnation and corruption.

In addition to demanding the resignation of fourth-term Varna Mayor, Kiril Yordanov, he was one of the few to explicitly blame shady TIM business group, centered in Varna, for the dire situation in the country and in the north-east in particular.

In a secret cable, leaked through Bivol and WikiLeaks TIM was called by former US Ambassador in Sofia, James Pardew "the new leader in Bulgarian organized crime," and the "most modern form of organized crime" by investigative German journalist, Jurgen Roth.

Bulgarians, especially those on social networks, have called Goranov a martyr of the protests in comparing him with Czech student, Jan Palach.

Wednesday has been declared a day of national mourning in Bulgaria in commemoration of the 36-year-old man.

Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov resigned on Wednesday.

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