Police break up protest in Tbilisi
29 November 09:31
VIDEO
Georgian police forcefully dispersed a protest in the center of Tbilisi, reports Komersant ukrainskyi
reports citing Georgian media.
As reported by , protesters gathered in the city center on the evening of November 28 after the Georgian government announced a 4-year moratorium on accession talks with the EU. The protesters called the government’s actions a “betrayal of the country’s interests” and a violation of Article 78 of the Constitution, which enshrines Georgia’s aspirations for European integration.
The rallies gathered near the central office of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the parliament building in Tbilisi. These protests were organized through social media. The protesters also blocked Rustaveli Avenue, the main street of the city.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili joined the protest, saying that the government had “declared war on the people” and was moving away from Europe and toward Russia.
The protests lasted for several hours, and the police actively countered. With the air temperature at 5°C, the police used water cannon against the protesters on one of the streets adjacent to the parliament. Pepper spray was also used.
The demonstrators, in turn, threw eggs and other objects at the police and blinded them with lasers.
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The Georgian Interior Ministry said that the action exceeded the norms established by the law on meetings and demonstrations.
“In response to a number of appeals from law enforcement officers on the spot, as well as to official statements by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the protesters engaged in physical altercations and verbal abuse of law enforcement officers. Various objects were also thrown in their direction, resulting in the injury of three MIA officers. Two of them were hospitalized,”
– the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
At two in the morning, police began to disperse the rally and arrest participants. The dispersal was harsh, with the use of physical force.
Traditionally, the police attacked people wearing vests with the words “Press” on them.
By seven o’clock in the morning, police occupied Rustaveli Avenue and continued to detain demonstrators near Republic Square. Only a few protesters remained on the streets.
According to the Interior Ministry, 43 protesters were detained. Investigations have been launched against them under two articles of the Criminal Code. Article 353 refers to an attack on a police officer or other government official, and Article 187, part two, refers to the destruction or damage of another’s property by arson, explosion or other dangerous means, repeatedly and in a group of persons.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili expects a tough European response to the events in Tbilisi.
“At 6:30 am, protests and repression are still ongoing in the center of Tbilisi. journalists and political leaders are being targeted. I expect a strong reaction from European capitals,”
– she wrote in X.
And former Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli called on the army to intervene and “defend the homeland,” referring to the army’s support for the protesters.
“Today is the time to act. Today the modern history of Georgia is being written. The Georgian army must protect the people, its own population and homeland,”
– she wrote on Facebook.
