Dance protests in Georgia: thousands of people oppose police brutality

In Tbilisi, on the square in front of the Georgian Parliament’s 12-13 in May, a mass protest rally is held, the participants of which demand the resignation of Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili and Interior Minister Georgy Gakharia.

The reason for the demonstration was a special forces operation carried out on Saturday night in two nightclubs in Tbilisi, writes DW.

The force operation took place in the Tbilisi nightclubs “Basiani” and “Galeri”. Police said the drug raid followed the drug overdose deaths of several people who frequented the clubs and was preceded by a thorough investigation. As a result of the operation, eight suspected drug dealers were detained.

But the witnesses to the operation reported that the police used force on club visitors, calling it “police lawlessness”.

Dissatisfaction with the actions of law enforcement officers led to a spontaneous protest, during which police detained about 70 people, including the leader of the movement for the decriminalization of drug use, the Georgian presidential candidate from the Girchi party, Zurab Japaridze. They were all released a few hours later.

The protesters moved from the clubs to the parliament building, from two to five thousand people gathered in the square next to it. In addition to the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior, the protesters also demand the dismissal of police officers commanding a special operation in nightclubs.

On May 12, one of the organizers of the action, the leader of the White Noise movement for the legalization of drugs, Beka Tsikarishvili, said that it would continue until the authorities satisfied the demands of the protesters.

“The authorities have declared war on us, but we will definitely win this war. We demand punishment for everyone who caused violence in the clubs,” Tsikarishvili emphasized.

By the morning of May 13, only about 20 people remained outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, and the organizers decided to stop the action, reports “Radio Liberty".

As a result, the police dismantled the tents where the protesters spent the night and detained three protesters on charges of petty hooliganism, but they were soon released.

Beka Tsikarishvili told reporters that the organizers of the rally did not want further confrontation and decided to stop the rally declared by them on the eve of indefinite, although the authorities did not comply with the requirement of the government’s resignation, and Prime Minister Georgi Kvirikashvili refused to meet with them at all.

Nevertheless, in the second half of the day the rally near the building of the Georgian parliament was resumed again, writes “Satellite (Sputnik)".

Also in the city began a few contractions.

Representatives of the Young National Alliance of Georgia and the neo-Nazi group National Unity of Georgia gathered on Rustaveli Avenue alongside the protesters against harsh police actions. They are defending the April 9 memorial, which, according to them, was desecrated the day before by one of the clubbers who danced at the memorial.

“We have long demanded the resignation of Kvirikashvili, but they did not join us then because they had the green light for drugs, and today, when they do not have this green light and a million dollars worth of drugs have been seized from the clubs, they are furious,” said Chairman of the Young National Alliance Georgy Gabedava.

May 13 action began with the incident. Participants in the contraction did not allow protestors outside the parliament who came there with flowers to the 9 April memorial. Law enforcement officers had to make a corridor and thus pass them to the memorial so that they could lay flowers.

“We naturally respect our national heroes. We remember their contribution, we know that they fought for our freedom. We know that the fact that we are standing here now is their merit, that today we are free people and are called democratic Georgia. We bow to their contribution,” said Beka Tsikarishvili, leader of the White Noise Movement.

The leader of the National Unity of Georgia, Giorgi Chelidze, said that if “this debauchery continues (referring to clubs and drugs and the performances of the youth who support them), a civil guard will be created”, ready for civil confrontation.

The demands of the protesters near the parliament have not changed - the resignation of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakhariya, as well as the reform of drug policy.

“We demand that the Prime Minister breaks his silence and makes a public statement. Otherwise, our demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister remains legitimate. Because we don’t understand whether we even have a prime minister or not,” Tsikarishvili noted.

As of the afternoon of May 13, there are about 1000 people under the parliament building in Tbilisi, they express their protest while dancing to club music.

According to the publication “24 Swag”, Actions against police brutality, in addition to Tbilisi, also take place in Batumi and Kutaisi.

Among the protesters are mostly young people. They protest against the harsh actions of the police, and also advocate the mitigation of drug legislation.

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