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Clashes have erupted in Tbilisi, Georgia, as police confronted anti-government demonstrators attempting to enter the presidential palace.
Security forces deployed water cannons and pepper spray in an effort to disperse the assembled protesters.
The Caucasus nation has experienced ongoing political instability since the ruling Georgian Dream party’s disputed victory in last year’s parliamentary election, which the pro-European Union opposition alleges was rigged. Subsequently, the government has suspended discussions regarding EU membership.
The demonstration coincided with local elections, largely boycotted by the opposition in response to a government crackdown. Prior to the event, an organizer called for the arrest of leading figures within the Georgian Dream party.
Bearing Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi on Saturday.
Opera singer Paata Burchuladze, a key organizer, issued a declaration urging employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to respect the will of the people and to immediately detain six senior officials from the Georgian Dream party.
Demonstrators then proceeded to the presidential palace and attempted to breach the compound, leading riot police to deploy pepper spray.
The demonstration follows a period of increased pressure on activists, independent media outlets, and the political opposition, with many prominent pro-Western opposition leaders currently incarcerated.
Ia, a 21-year-old protester, and her companions arrived at Saturday’s rally prepared, dressed in black, and equipped with helmets and gas masks.
“If we wear something colorful it will be easier to identify us, and if they identify us we are going to jail,” she stated, referencing the AI surveillance cameras installed on Rustaveli Avenue, the central location for the ongoing protests.
Hundreds of protesters have faced substantial fines of 5,000 Georgian lari ($1,835; £1,362) for what authorities deem the illegal act of “blocking the streets.”
“I want Georgian Dream to go. I want my country back. I want to be able to live peacefully and for my friends who are in jail, illegally imprisoned, to be free.”
Ia sarcastically labeled the ruling party “Russian Dream,” a sentiment echoed by many anti-government protesters.
While the Georgian Dream party maintains support in rural regions with its promise of stability, many Georgians in urban centers believe the government is acting in Russia’s interests.
The protest occurred on the same day as municipal elections, which were largely boycotted by mainstream opposition parties due to the imprisonment of their leaders.
The situation escalated when a group of protesters attempted to storm the presidential compound on Atoneli Street.
Irakli, 24, recounted the experience after retreating from the area.
“There were a lot of people, and then a lot of policemen with their faces covered, all of a sudden we look behind us and see the gas released, so 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 asserted that there was no intention to storm the presidential palace, blaming radicals who he claimed were not part of the protest movement.
Nightly protests have been ongoing in Tbilisi since the government’s decision last November to halt talks regarding EU accession.
Protesters are demanding the release of political prisoners and the holding of snap parliamentary elections.
Water cannon and pepper spray was used by authorities to disperse protesters.
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