Journalism of Courage
Anti-government protesters Saturday clashed with police as they attempted to storm the presidential palace in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, BBC reported. Security forces used water cannons and pepper spray to disperse the crowd, the report stated, adding that they have arrested five people so far.
The demonstration coincided with local elections that the main opposition parties are boycotting amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Since last year’s parliamentary election, which the pro-EU opposition alleges was stolen, the ruling Georgian Dream party has faced repeated protests. Talks on EU membership have also been suspended.
Tens of thousands of protesters, waving Georgian and EU flags, marched through central Tbilisi on Saturday. Opera singer and protest organiser Paata Burchuladze, now arrested, read out a declaration urging the Ministry of Internal Affairs to “obey the will of the people” and “immediately arrest six senior figures from the Georgian Dream party,” the BBC reported.
The crowd then moved toward the presidential palace on Atoneli Street, where riot police fired pepper spray after some demonstrators attempted to enter the compound, reported AP.
Nearly 21 police officers and six protesters were taken to hospital with injuries, BBC highlighted.
Many young protesters arrived geared for conflict. Ia, 21, wore black clothing, a helmet, and a gas mask. She said, “If we wear something colourful it will be easier to identify us, and if they identify us we are going to jail,” referring to AI surveillance cameras along Rustaveli Avenue, BBC quoted.
Hundreds of protesters have faced fines of 5,000 Georgian lari ($1,835; £1,362) for street-blocking, which authorities consider “illegal”. Participants, like Ia, accused the government of acting in Russia’s interests, sarcastically calling the ruling party “Russian Dream.”
Protests turned violent when a small group tried to storm the presidential compound. Irakli, 24, describing the scene, said: “There were a lot of people, and then a lot of policemen with their faces covered… all these people started running, it was very chaotic and the police were running and arresting people. Our eyes were tearing up and it was getting harder to breathe.”
He added the attempt to storm the palace was driven by radicals. Nightly protests in Tbilisi have continued since November, with demonstrators demanding the release of political prisoners and holding snap parliamentary elections.
