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“They Will Destroy Your Hut and Build Palaces for Themselves”

October 1, 2007

People Crowded Rustaveli Avenue to Express Their Protest Again

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It is 2:00 PM. Underground station “Tavisuflebis Moedani” (Liberty Square) is overcrowded. Plenty of people are moving along the Rustaveli Avenue towards Liberty Square. The pavements are overcrowded and people are walking on the road. You can guess by their face expression that they are going to join meeting.

Four years passed since Rose Revolution and such a lot of people have never gathered in front of the legislative building since that time. Everybody came there-who love attending meetings, who support certain political parties, who were offended by the government for various reasons-lost their properties, jobs, got furious about Sandro Girgvliani’s assassination, etc; some of them fight against business-terror, others support former Defense Minister and present detainee, Irakli Okruashvili.

Nearly 15 000 people were standing in front of the Parliament building today; their number might be even more. The people demanded the resignation of the president. It was followed by the demand to release Irakli Okruashvili. If demonstrates were shouting “Misha, MIsha” during demonstration, now they changed it into “Irakli, Irakli”.

People greeted leaders of all political parties in various ways. People had watched boisterous TV show on the previous night and they maintained that feeling on the next day during the demonstration. Although every political leader had his/her slogan, all of them agreed in one thing “Georgia without president.”

After 2:00 PM people were giving the way to the leaders of various political parties. Shalva Natelashvili, leader of Labor Party, Levan Gachechiladze, who had kept silence for previous two years and appeared only after recent events, Gia Maisashvili, who was once close to President Saakashvili, joined the demonstration… Nodar Natadze, leader of Public Front, repeated his usual phrases, Irakli Tsereteli spoke with similar pathos. Goga Khaindrava was worrying and Levan Berdzenishvili was ironically speaking about the government as he usually does.
They all knew why they were in the street.

What did the people want? Political statements were made before Irakli Okruashvili’s detention; however nobody else could gather so many people in the Liberty Square. Now, everybody came there who endured the situation during recent four years. People were watching the government and understood that “young men” in the authority could not resist many temptations like their predecessors.

A man of nearly eighty in a Svanuri (region of Georgia) hat was sitting just in front of the spokesmen and among journalists. Nobody could make him change his place-he was writing something all the time and finally we found out he was writing a rhyme on the government:

“Everybody should fight against government, but words are best weapons,” said the man in Svanuri hat.

A woman with wrinkled face agreed with her too. “If words did not have such great influence, what should have made so many people to come here? If Okruashvili had not made those statements, people should have endured the situation on.”

“They will destroy your hut and build a palace for themselves. It is their policy about people. How they have deceived us?” said forty-year-old man in regret and looked at the Kashveti Church. Some noise is heard and it repeats several times during the demonstration.

“Don’t be afraid; don’t follow police’s provocation. They will not be able to harm us. We are expressing our ideas peacefully,” said Gia Tortladze, one of the leaders from Okruashvili’s new party.

Many experienced demonstrators were in Liberty Square on September 28. They had spent rainy nights in front of the Parliament in November of 2003.

“How we believed that our government was coming in office. Who could imagine that we should have to stand here four years later…I have been thinking about the things Okruashvili stated yesterday. Do we really have murderer president? But there is such a logical connection between facts that people need concrete answers; that’s why we have come here.”

Microphone is switched off time-by-time. One hour later demonstrators learn that electricity was been cut off. A special Force unit is located close to the demonstration. Gia Tortladze received notes from people which state that several buses coming from the Western Georgia were stopped at Rikoti Pass and do not let them continue their way to Tbilisi. The microphone was switched off for twenty minutes. People do not leave the place. Their expressions on the faces show-they all know why they have come.

“Illiteracy people entered the University. They do not know where to use coma or point while writing. I was chief bibliographic but they fired me without any problem. Our government thinks elderly people over forty are not part of the society. Only Misha’s grandparents have right to be members of our society regardless their old ages. I paid my last money to get to this demonstration and if I have to come here on foot, I will definitely come again.”

We interrogated every tenth demonstrator and they answered that they have some questions to the government:

“We are curious about Saakashvili’s answers to our questions. Were so many people deceived by Okruashvili?  If former defense minister was to be imprisoned, President Saakashvili should also join him in prison! Misha, we have some question to you. Do not forget who supported you to occupy that position. We will remove you from that place. We wonder, was it you who ordered to beat Gelashvili? Was it you who ordered Okruashvili to kill Patarkatsishvili? Has your property really amounted to billions? Answer Misha our questions!!!” thirty-six-year-old Giorgi Abashidze could not help his anger.

Number of people was increasing during four hours. Finally, at 6:00 PM demonstration finished peacefully. Only crushed stems of flowers remained on the place in front of the parliament.

“We brought here roses but we can bring prickles too,” elderly woman finished her demonstration with these words. She and many thousands of people returned home with the hope that the president would soon answer their questions.

   Eka Kevanishvili, Tbilisi

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