Georgia PM says storming of presidential palace aimed at overthrowing gov’t

Irakli Kobakhidze calls connected EU ambassador to condemn Tbilisi protests, saying helium bears ‘special responsibility’ for the unrest.

Georgia’s premier curate says protesters who tried to tempest the statesmanlike palace were trying to overthrow the authorities arsenic helium accuses the European Union of meddling successful his country’s politics.

Irakli Kobakhidze said connected Sunday that the demonstrators aimed to “overthrow the law order” and added that EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski, whom helium accused of supporting the rally, bore “special responsibility” and called connected him to “distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening connected the streets of Tbilisi”, the Georgian quality bureau Interpress reported.

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Georgian riot constabulary utilized capsicum spray and h2o cannon connected Saturday to drive demonstrators away from the statesmanlike palace successful Tbilisi’s metropolis centre and detained 5 activists arsenic the absorption staged a ample objection connected a time of section elections.

Georgia’s Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs said 21 information unit and six protesters were injured successful the confrontations, according to section media.

Kobakhidze said astir 7,000 radical participated successful the protestation successful the superior of the South Caucasus state of 3.7 cardinal people.

“They moved to action, began the overthrow attempt. It failed, and past they started distancing themselves from it,” Kobakhidze said. “No 1 volition flight responsibility. This includes governmental responsibility.”

A protester receives assistance aft being deed by teardrop state successful cardinal Tbilisi [Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP]

The protests erupted arsenic the ruling Georgian Dream party, which critics said is close to Russia, won majorities successful each municipalities, claiming 80 percent of the vote. Former AC Milan footballer Kakha Kaladze retained the mayorship of the superior city.

Opposition groups boycotted the canvass and rallied supporters for a “peaceful revolution” against the Georgian Dream party. Thousands massed successful Freedom Square and Rustaveli Avenue successful cardinal Tbilisi, waving Georgian and EU flags successful what organisers characterised arsenic an enactment of resistance, earlier immoderate protesters blocked adjacent streets, started fires and confronted the riot police.

Senior Georgian Dream enactment officials person repeatedly denied Kremlin links. In an sentiment portion for Euronews past week, Kobakhidze said the country’s aspiration to articulation the EU was “steady and irreversible”.

“Georgia’s way is European, peaceful, and principled. We are doing our part. We stay steadfast successful reform, committed to our obligations, and focused connected delivering results,” Kobakhidze wrote.

The state has been locked successful a governmental situation since October past twelvemonth erstwhile Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections, which the absorption alleged were “rigged”. Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, said astatine the time: “This was a full rigging, a full robbery of your votes,” adding that the state had been swept up successful a “Russian peculiar operation”.

Opposition figures person been organising protests since then, prompting beardown responses from the government, with constabulary often clashing with the demonstrators and making galore arrests.

The Georgian Dream enactment was founded by billionaire businessman and erstwhile Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s wealthiest person. The United States imposed sanctions connected Ivanishvili astatine the extremity of 2024 for undermining the “democratic and Euro-Atlantic aboriginal of Georgia for the payment of the Russian Federation”, said then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.