The Georgian Prime Minister refused on Monday, December 2, any negotiations with the opposition, on the fifth day of a large-scale mobilization, punctuated by clashes, to demand new legislative elections and denounce the decision of the authorities to suspend the integration process in the EU.
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Early Monday evening, thousands of demonstrators gathered again in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi, the capital of the Georgiaepicenter of tensions between police and opponents. Protesters crowded together waved Georgian or European flags, noted an AFP journalist.
Like the day before, the police, parked in front of the building, used jets of water to disperse the protesters. Around 10 p.m. (6 p.m. UT), they forcibly pushed back those who occupied the square opposite the Parliament.
The movement continues to grow and is getting organized, as demonstrated by Zaza Toria, a French teacher in Tbilisi. “ Last week, we were a little scared. Thursday, there weren’t very many of us. On Friday, there were more of us, also on the weekend because people had time and we were afraid for Monday. But today, we see that from the morning, the schools are on strike, the students are on strike, the teachers are on strike and everyone is outside. »
The movement is growing from one day to the next. […] On Facebook there are different groups that have been created from different layers of society and all of these groups of which we are members have proposals to make.
Zaza Toria, protester in Tbilisi
A few hundred meters further, on Roustavi Avenue, they also used tear gas, according to an AFP reporter. Protesters threw fireworks over police officers protected by shields while others used lasers, aimed at the eyes, to prevent them from seeing.
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There will be no “revolution” financed “from abroad”, says the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Irakli Khobadidze assured this Monday that his government would “do maximum effort » to integrate this Caucasian country into theEuropean Unioneven though he himself announced last week that he was suspending membership ambitions, provoking these large-scale protests. “ No negotiations » with the opposition, he decided.
At a press conference, he raised the specter of outside interference, maintaining that the protests were being financed ” from abroad “. At any rate, ” there will be no revolution in Georgia “, he warned.
“ These efforts are funded from abroad, and the funding is not transparent », Accused Irakli Khobadidze during a press conference. “ I remind everyone that there will be no revolution in Georgia, whether it is transparent or not », added the Prime Minister.
Also readGeorgia: Prime Minister Irakli Khobadidze rules out the organization of new legislative elections
The UN denounces a use “ disproportionate force »
The High Commissioner of theUN for human rights, Volker Türk, expressed his deep concern on Monday after the violence which punctuated the demonstrations of recent days in Georgia, denouncing a use “ disproportionate force » against the protesters.
“ Unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against protesters and media workers is extremely concerning “, declared Mr. Türk in a press release. “ All Georgians across the political spectrum should be able to express their views on the future of their country freely and peacefully “, he added. Mr. Türk noted that, according to the Georgian authorities, at least 224 people were arrested during four days of demonstrations.
Despite the multiplication of declarations in recent days, the movement does not feel sufficiently supported by the international community, and the France especially. This is what Zaza Toria, who demonstrates in Tbilisi, says.
“ Yes, there are statements of support for the Georgian people. Today, for example, it became known that the Baltic countries have implemented sanctions against our oligarch, the leader of the ruling party Ivanishvili and representatives of the Interior Ministry. They banned them from entering the Baltics. Apparently, the Canada will do the same thing. This is what we learned “, he indicates, before continuing: “ But we must not forget that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the main oligarch of Georgia, head of the ruling party, is French, he has a French passport. So in this case, France could have done more, it could have put more pressure on him. But we don’t see that at the moment. France, for us, especially for French speakers, is considered the country of human rights, as the country of freedom of expression. And there, when we have such problems which concern human rights and freedom, we expect support from France, even if these same rights are also sometimes contested a little in France. But still, for us, France is the symbol of Enlightenment, of human rights », insists Zaza Toria.
Also readGeorgia: clashes between pro-EU demonstrators and police in front of Parliament in Tbilisi