Georgian special forces begin forcing protesters out of Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Boulevard – World

TBILISI, December 1. /TASS/. Georgian special forces are using water cannons and tear gas to force protesters out of Rustaveli Boulevard in central Tbilisi, a TASS correspondent at the scene reported.

Security forces cordoned off Rustaveli Avenue near the Tbilisi Opera House throughout the night after pushing anti-government protesters away from the area adjacent to the parliament around midnight. Meanwhile, a column of police began to move, pushing the demonstrators out of the entire Rustaveli Boulevard.

The law enforcement officers pushed the citizens back to the Rustaveli metro station and stopped, not allowing them to return. Hundreds of protesters continue to move along Melikishvili Boulevard, which is a continuation of Rustaveli Boulevard, not wanting to return home.

In Tbilisi, another anti-government rally took place in front of the parliament building on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people gathered on Rustaveli Boulevard. Later, the rally turned into a scuffle with the police. The Ministry of the Interior decided to disperse the protesters. The demonstrators were detained.

Mass protests have already taken place in Georgia in the past two days. In the early hours of November 30, rallies near the parliament in Tbilisi turned into clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, who used water cannons and tear gas. According to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, this was a response to “systematic violence by protesters”. There were casualties on both sides. The police detained about 150 people for two days.

The protest was sparked by Kobakhidze’s statement on November 28. He said that the ruling party, Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, decided not to put on the agenda the issue of negotiations for accession to the European Union until the end of 2028 and to refuse all budget subsidies from the community. According to the head of the government, the reasons for this are the constant blackmail of the EU regarding the start of the accession dialogue, requests to cancel a series of laws adopted by the parliament and calls to impose sanctions on the Georgian authorities.