Protesters storm presidential palace in Georgia (VIDEOS)
Mass protests erupted in the Georgian capital Tbilisi late on Saturday, in the aftermath of municipal elections held across the country. Protesters have breached the premises of the presidential palace, scuffling with police who used pepper spray and deployed water cannons.
The polls were partially boycotted by the opposition, which had earlier pledged to stage a “peaceful revolution.”
Early projections indicate the ruling Georgian Dream party took a solid lead all across the nation, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said.
Chaotic footage from the scene shows protesters scaling the fence of the presidential palace and tearing down some of its sections. The unruly crowd is met on the grounds by a sizable police force, clad in full riot gear, who react using batons, pepper spray, and tear gas.
Clashes between the demonstrators and police also erupted outside. Law enforcement deployed multiple water cannon trucks in a bid to disperse the crowds, who attempted to erect barricades in the streets.
Flags of the EU, Ukraine, and even a variant of the Georgian flag in Ukrainian colors were spotted being carried in the crowd. After the protestors were expelled from the grounds of the presidential palace, groups of masked people could be seen attacking cafes and other street venues nearby, smashing windows, breaking furniture, and setting it on fire.
Georgia endured a wave of violent unrest following the presidential and parliamentary elections late last year, when protests that gripped the EU candidate nation were openly backed by the bloc itself and other foreign actors.
The pro-Western opposition protested for weeks after the vote, demanding an election re-run, while the unrest was fully supported by then outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili. She initially refused to leave her post but eventually departed in late December.
The Georgian authorities have repeatedly alleged that foreign forces have been plotting a Ukrainian Maidan-style coup in the country. Last month, Kobakhidze claimed the effort had been “financed by foreign special services, as with the Maidan,” which ultimately prompted the “Ukrainian statehood” to collapse.
“Foreign agents won’t stage a revolution in Georgia, we won’t allow that,” the prime minister said at the time.
