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Tuesday, October 23, 2007, #202 (1469)
“I was at the previous protest when [ex-defense minister Irakli] Okruashvili was arrested, and I saw lots of people—maybe 30 000, and that was just Tbilisi residents. Now the opposition are gathering people from all over Georgia, and I think it’s entirely possible there will be 100 000 protestors on November 2.” “I doubt they’ll manage to get that many to come. People were encouraged by Okruashvili’s statements, but now that he’s been arrested and recanted everything people will be too scared to make any moves against this government.” “I’m going to be there on November 2. Every Georgian must come out that day to defend their dignity. I’m sure there will be a lot of people, from all over the country. Maybe more than 100 000.” “Yes, it’s definitely possible that there will be 100 000 people in front of parliament. People are fed up with what’s going on in Georgia, people are fed up with [President Mikheil] Saakashvili and we will defend our identity and our dignity, and protest Saakashvili’s rule.” “I doubt they’ll get that many, 100 000 is a total exaggeration. But there will certainly be a lot of people, and Saakashvili will see that he’s not the voters’ favorite any more.” “I think you’ll see 10 000 people at most. It’s tough to find that many people who support the opposition.” “They’d be lucky to get 20 000. The people who protested last time were there for Okruashvili, not for [Republican leader Tina] Khidasheli or [People’s Party leader Koba] Davitashvili. I’m certainly not going; the protest makes no sense. Whether we want him or not, Saakashvili is by far the best candidate to be president.” “I’m sure that every Georgian who cares about their country will be there on November 2. My family will be.” “I was a fan of Okruashvili, and I went there last time with my friends to support him. But there’s no point going now. The opposition is weak, and won’t be able to gather that many people. They may get 30 000.” |
The opposition coalition says they expect 100 000 people to protest outside parliament on November 2. How many people do you think will rally?