Iron walls constructed near Parliament as opposition announces picketing the building
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Friday, November 29
Since yesterday morning, there was a large number of policemen in front of the Parliament of Georgia. They blocked the streets near the legislature building with iron constructions. Iron walls were constructed on the streets of Chitadze and Dzmebi Zubalashvilebi streets. The road leading from Ingorokva Street to Chitadze Street was also blocked.
The decision to construct the iron walls near the parliament was made after the civic activists and opposition parties announced that they would continue picketing the building of the Parliament of Georgia.
Opposition party leaders and civil activists were gathered at the parliament. They periodically protested the erection of iron structures on the streets near the Parliament building.
As Giga Bokeria, one of the leaders of the European Georgia the walls won’t help the Georgian Dream.
“Activists will be there whenever the walls are put up. These clowns do not deserve to have a normal, peaceful political life. No matter where they go, they will have a great political discomfort,” noted Bokeria.
According to Vazha Siradze, the chief of patrol police, the police will be mobilized for as long as it is needed for the parliament to function peacefully.
As he noted, police prevented people to enter the parliament building from Chitadze Street. He also added that the journalists can enter the Parliament building together with the MPs. When asked why the iron structures were placed near the Parliament, Vazha Siradze responded that this was done to ensure the safety of the police.
According to MP Nika Melia, a member of the opposition United National Movement party, the leadership of the Interior Ministry is out of the legal space. As he noted, the only positive side of all this is that the whole world is seeing what kind of regime exists in Georgia.
Gigi Ugulava, member of the UNM, says that everything is yet to come. According to him, they will especially prepare for the parliamentary picketing on the day of voting for the judges.
According to Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, events in the area near the Parliament in recent days have been organized by irresponsible politicians, destructive in nature and aimed at blocking the state.
For the past two weeks, police forces have twice dispersed picketing rallies at the entrances of parliament, once on November 18 and then on November 26. Police arrested 65 people in two rallies.
Civic activists and opposition parties have launched protests after parliament failed to approve a constitutional amendment initiated by the Georgian Dream on November 14, proposing a 2020 proportional system.
