Turmoil in Tbilisi: Police clash with protesters at Vake Park
Another restless morning in Georgia. As reported by Paper Kartuli, "the police chased protesters in the Vake Park area. People began to flee to neighbouring yards. Security forces attacked protesters and brutally detained them."
On Sunday evening, a real battle took place in front of the Georgian parliament, with protesters using fireworks and the police using water cannons. Soaked by the security forces, demonstrators danced in front of the cannons. The sky over Tbilisi looked like New Year’s Eve.
On the facade of the building, inscriptions were projected: "F--- Russia", "Make noise".
Over 200,000 people on the streets
According to the protesters themselves, more people are participating in the action than on Saturday, when the opposition estimated the number of protesters at 200,000.
Detentions lasted all night. In one recording, you can see policemen suddenly rushing at the protesters, starting to beat, kick, and attack them with gas. The video clearly shows that the protesters were only recording the protests.
Early in the morning around 8:00 AM Eastern Time, policemen brutally beat a man at a subway entrance. In the video, several fully uniformed policemen chase after the protester and after a moment, carry the protester away like a sack.
"The police chased protesters in the Vake Park area. People began to flee to neighbouring yards. Security forces attacked protesters and brutally detained them," informed Paper Kartuli on Monday morning.
Tbilisi Life reports that policemen are also attacking journalists who are covering the protests.
This can be seen in the published video, where Aprili Giorgi Baskhajauri, recording the protests, is suddenly attacked by a policeman.
"They created a real hell"
One of the protesters told Tbilisi Life that the morning in Georgia was terrible.
- They (policemen) followed us everywhere, even to the fourth floor. We managed to hide in the elevator just seconds before. The remaining people were pushed to the subway station, where they created a real hell – they were beating everyone: women and men, forcing them into the subway and also beating and detaining people there - says a witness.
On Sunday evening, the Georgian public broadcaster reported that they are ready to host the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, and offer her airtime for an interview. The pro-Western leader is expected to appear on public television on Tuesday or Wednesday.
