‘Don’t Feed the Pig’: The Anti-Corruption Call That Helped Topple a Government NYT | Top Stories Carlotta Gall 15 December 2025 at 21:19 Mass demonstrations in Bulgaria were spurred by spreading outrage over graft that many say was fueling an authoritarian power grab. © Valentina Petrova/Associated PressProtesters in Sofia, Bulgaria, this month. The trigger for the demonstrations was a budget that raised taxes and lifted the salaries of members of the state security apparatus.