Massive protests continue in Georgia/ Prime Minister: We foiled the fourth revolution attempt

According to Isna, the Georgian government’s decision in late November to postpone the start of the country’s EU accession negotiations for four years has led to almost three weeks of daily protests in Georgia.

The move comes amid an unprecedented constitutional crisis that saw the country’s president declare the newly elected parliament and government “illegitimate” after the opposition accused Georgia’s ruling Dream Party of rigging the October parliamentary election.

On Tuesday, protesters marched in dozens of locations across Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and thousands gathered in front of the parliament for the 20th day in a row.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who had threatened to “uproot” the opposition parties and called them “liberal fascists”, downplayed the protests and with his statements about the demonstrators who chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the government and the holding of elections They became new parliamentarians, it angered many.

Appointed by the Georgian Dream party, he criticized the European Union for its “steps against Georgia” during a briefing on December 17, dismissing the massive pro-European protests that have continued outside parliament for nearly three weeks. And he called it “a rally in support of the European Union”.

Kobakhidze also responded to the December 16 decision of European Parliament President Roberta Metsula to invite Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to the European Parliament session.

According to him, they are planning to perform a small show at the meeting of the European Parliament with Salome Zurabishvili. Like Zelensky (President of Georgia), he stands there and ends his speech with applause. Kobakhidze further said: Such a demonstration cannot have an effect on the current events in Georgia.

In another part of his statement, he stated: The opposition has failed in its fourth attempt for revolution and can no longer bring more than 800 people to the streets outside the parliament.

Kobakhidze added: It’s over! We thwarted their fourth attempt at revolution.

According to the AFP report, in the initial stage of the demonstration, riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, and the Ministry of Interior reported that more than 400 people were arrested during the protests.

Allegations of police brutality against protesters have drawn growing international condemnation, and Washington and several European countries have imposed visa bans on Georgian Dream officials and warned of further personal sanctions.

Protests erupted in the capital and other Georgian cities after Irakli Kobakhidze announced on November 28 that Tbilisi would suspend EU accession talks for four years.

The main demand of the protesters who come to the streets every day is to hold new parliamentary elections for the possibility of a legal change of power in the country. They also demand the release of all those arrested during the protests.

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