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Provocations and Clashes during Protest Demonstration

May 23, 2011

Ana Apkhazava

On May 22, in the morning, the situation about the protest demonstration organized by the Public Assembly escalated in front of the Public Broadcasting building. The demonstrators attacked the car of the law enforcement officers and started to drub it.

After this incident, riot police and patrol police arrived at the place and dispersed the rally-participants with truncheons, tear-gas and rubber bullets.

After dispersal, the protest demonstration soon renewed. In the second half of the day, another incident happened. People in civil clothes, armed with the same plastic flag-handles as demonstrators, joined the rally. They rushed into the crowd and a ruthless clash between the parties started. The opponents were ruthlessly beating each other.

The unknown attackers are still unidentified. The leaders of the Public Assembly allege the strangers were law enforcement officers who wanted to provoke the demonstrators.

In his interview with the Radio Liberty, representative of the Civil Defender Irina Putkaradze recalled the morning of May 22 and said: “I was near the scene of incident. The demonstration was really peaceful; the situation was very calm throughout the night but in the morning, an incident started near me and demonstrators said their team-member was detained by police officers. Several demonstrators went towards the car. I do not know what exactly happened there and who broke the car. But, their team-member was really detained by the police. I witnessed the fact when the government used ES type shells against peaceful demonstrators; I have it and showed to your colleague too. They used several hells and tear gas too,” she recalled.

Demonstrators and leaders of the Public Assembly said the law enforcement officers tried to arrest retired general Uchadze and pushed him into the car under force. The demonstrators drubbed the car to protect their team-member.

They added that police officers meet them in different places and “kidnap” them. They rescued another demonstrator, former rugby player Bidzina Gegidze too.

Although many TV-Companies recorded police officers and riot police when dispersing the demonstrators with tear-gas and rubber bullets, the MIA official Shota Utiashvili categorically denied the information with the Radio “Liberty.”

Shota Utiashvili: “No, they did not disperse the demonstrators. They had blocked the road with iron wires and the police officers removed those wires. Nobody dispersed the demonstrators.”

Radio Liberty: “So, you say that nobody used tear gas and rubber bullets there?”

Shota Utiashvili: “No, no! No tear gas at all.”

Radio Liberty: And was not there a clash between the law enforcement officers and demonstrators?

Shota Utiashvili: No.

Later, MIA spread special statement as if the demonstrators were drunk and they attacked the police car; as a result several police officers were injured. “On May 22, at about 7:00 am, the demonstrators in front of the Public Broadcasting Company, who supposedly were drunk, attacked a police car and the police officers – Irakli Sakhokia, Vakhtang Bochorishvili and Kakha Kudukhashvili - sitting in it near the Vake-Saburtalo district police station; the demonstrators insulted the police officers. As a result of the incident, the police officers detained several demonstrators. The injured police officers are taking medical treatment at the moment.”

Another incident occurred in the second half of May 22 at about 11:00 pm. According to the Interpresnews, several cars approached the supporters of the Public Assembly, and threw stones at them. It resulted into a serious quarrel. The opponents were drubbing each other with the so-called flag-handles.

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