New protests in Georgia – seventh night in a row – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

– We are on the right side of history, said one of the banners that the demonstrators carried outside the National Assembly, writes AFP. The demonstration takes place after the police earlier in the evening raided the offices of opposition parties and arrested opposition leaders. Compared to Belarus This is the seventh night in a row of protests. Aage Borchgrevink, senior adviser at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, believes that the government’s raids and arrests will not contribute to calming the situation. Senior researcher Aage Borchgrevink at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – It could be that this only makes people even angrier, even more determined, and to feel that it’s now or never, says Borchgrevink to news. – So, unfortunately, there is no reason to believe other than that it could escalate further. There may soon be more violence, on the part of the authorities, but also perhaps eventually on the part of the demonstrators. Borchgrevink compares the situation to the protests in Belarus in 2020 and 2021, where violence increased as the police and government cracked down harder on protesters and political opponents. An EU supporter with candles and an EU flag outside the National Assembly in Tbilisi on Wednesday evening. Photo: GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP Broad EU support The week of protests has occurred after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Thursday last week that the government is putting negotiations on EU membership on hold. The demonstrators have, among other things, shot fireworks at the police, who have responded with tear gas and water cannons. Kobakhidze and the Georgian Dream party are criticized for taking Georgia further away from the EU and the West and towards Russia. Although the protests have been greatest in the capital Tbilisi, Aage Borchgrevink says there is broad support for approaching support in the population of Georgia. There have also been protests elsewhere in the country. – That is unusual, says Borchgrevink. – So there is great and widespread popular opposition. More than you have seen before. Interested in abroad? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast: Published 04.12.2024, at 18.07 Updated 04.12.2024, at 18.41



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