Police Crack Down on Protesters in Georgia
MOSCOW _ Riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse thousands of people protesting against President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, as the former Soviet republic struggled with its worst political crisis since the Rose Revolution four years ago.
The government’s show of force was its first since daily rallies against Saakashvili began Friday outside the Georgian parliament building. Russian television showed demonstrators fleeing in all directions as tear gas filled Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare. Police were seen beating several protesters with truncheons.
There were no reports of serious injuries, though Georgian news agencies reported that at least 360 people sought treatment for symptoms related to the tear gas.
In a televised national address Wednesday evening, Saakashvili defended the actions of Georgian police as lawful. He later declared a state of emergency in the capital and banned further demonstrations.
Saakashvili accused the Russian government of collaborating with Georgian opposition leaders to seed unrest. Tbilisi’s relations with Moscow plummeted shortly after Saakashivili took office and made it clear that Georgia would become a staunch ally of the U.S. and seek NATO membership.
“There are evil forces at work, from a country very experienced at this,” Saakashvili said. “We cannot allow a foreign power to undermine the future of Georgia.”
Despite the violence Wednesday, leaders of Georgia’s opposition movement vowed to continue the protests.
“We won’t stop the demonstrations,” said Tina Khidasheli, an opposition leader with Georgia’s Republican Party. During the rally, she was knocked unconscious when a tear gas canister struck her head. “All dictators behave like this. Saakashvili will be held accountable for what happened today,” she said.
The demonstrations began Friday with tens of thousands of Georgians outside parliament demanding that national elections scheduled for late 2008 be held as early as April. Many in the crowd also called on Saakashvili to resign.
The opposition movement is led by former ministers and allies of Saakashvili who argue that the 39-year-old, Western-educated leader has become increasingly authoritarian and has failed to adequately tackle corruption.
But the movement has also tapped widespread frustration over the country’s bleak economic outlook. Stifling poverty and unemployment still plagues much of Georgia four years after Saakashvili led peaceful demonstrations that toppled Eduard Shevardnadze’s regime.
“I saw Saakashvili as someone full of energy, who could do a lot for the country,” said Goga Chitadze, 40, a Georgian who sells men’s clothes at a Tbilisi market. “But what has he done? He’s paved a lot of roads but he hasn’t achieved a tenth of what he promised. If you believe in someone and he betrays your trust, that’s hard to swallow.”
Until Wednesday, authorities had allowed thousands of protesters to gather in front of the parliament building daily. Many were bused in from surrounding regions. The demonstrations continued without incident, and as the days passed the size of the rallies began to diminish.
However, early Wednesday morning, a line of police forcibly dispersed a small band of demonstrators who had stayed at the site overnight and arrested two opposition leaders.
Later, thousands of demonstrators returned to the parliament building but were met by a large contingent of riot police armed with tear gas guns, truncheons and water cannon trucks. Khidasheli said some police used rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators.
“It was chaotic,” Khidasheli said. “People were trying to escape, but the special forces ran after them, trying to catch as many people as possible to beat them. I guess they decided to put as many people as possible into the hospital tonight so that no one can demonstrate tomorrow.”
Georgian authorities said police moved in on demonstrators after they refused to stop blocking Rustaveli Avenue, which cuts through downtown Tbilisi.
“Breaking up a demonstration, even when done lawfully, is a very ugly thing to look at,” Saakashvili said. “And this does not elevate our country.”
While parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze, a Saaskashvili ally, has held talks with opposition leaders, Saakashvili’s government has said it will not give in to demands to hold parliamentary elections in April rather than next fall. In his address to the nation, Saakashvili said dialogue with opposition leaders should continue.
While analysts say Saakashvili is likely to survive the crisis, they warn that his credibility with Western allies, particularly NATO, is at risk as the conflict worsens.
“With respect to NATO, the political elite in Georgia has lost some credibility,” said Ghia Nodia, a Tbilisi-based political analyst. “There will be perceptions in the West that Georgia isn’t stable enough yet.”
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