Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has once again declared that she would not abolish the ongoing mass protests against the Bulgarian government.

“Sofia will not start looking like Istanbul,” Fandakova told the Bulgarian National Television on Monday, referring to the brutal crackdown on protesters in neighboring Turkey.

The Sofia Mayor’s statement follows demands made by pro-government municipal council members that the protests be abolished.

Fandakova thanked both protesters and police for keeping the rallies peaceful.

The series of the peaceful, but mass and persisting anti-government protests in Bulgaria was triggered by the scandalous appointment of media mogul Delyan Peevski as Chair of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) on June 14.

Although the appointment was revoked, the people went on to demand that the Socialist-endorsed cabinet of Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, resign collectively over ties with oligarchs.