Thousands of people took to the streets in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday, January 11, to protest a planned skiing area in Pirin National Park.

These videos shared by protester Katya Tosheva shows environmentalists marching through the country’s capital. Some were seen holding placards with the words “Love Pirin”, while chanting and whistling as they marched.

Protesters marched along Vasil Levski Boulevard and Georgi Rakovski Street before congregating at the National Palace of Culture, according to local media reports. Simultaneously, a counter-protest march was held by those who voice the expansion of the ski area in Pirin, it was reported.

It was the fourth time in recent weeks that the environmentalists had demonstrated over plans to build a second ski lift in Bankso, according to local news media. They argued that the development was being planned without adequate environmental impact assessments.

The latest protest was held on the evening of ceremonies to mark the opening of its six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. It was among nine protests held in Sofia on Thursday, bringing traffic on city roads to a standstill, according to reports. Credit: Facebook/Katya Tosheva via Storyful