Protest day 1, protest more civil than disobedient

{ April 10, 2009 @ 11:26 am } · { Uncategorized }

Members of Nino Burjanadze's party Democratic Movement - United Georgia ant the Youth Movement going from Tbilisi State University towards Rustaveli Avenue. Photo by Giorgi Pkhachiashvili

 

TBILISI, Georgia – Putting aside their differences on the dawn of this April 9, both protest leaders and government officials started Thursday not in opposing camps, but standing together in front of the Parliament to remember the Georgians killed 20 years ago on the same day.

At 11 a.m., President Mikheil Saakashvili stood next to the opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze at a prayer held by Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II, to commemorate the 20 Georgians shot and killed for protesting against the Soviets. Gachechiladze even helped to light a candle held by Davit Bakradze, the head of Parliament and prominent member of Saakashvili’s National Movement. April 9 is a national holiday for Georgians to commemorate the tragic events.

The morning meeting set the tone for Thursday’s protests, which were more civil than disobedient. With large but orderly marches, leading to about 55,000 protesters converging upon Parliament, and a measured government response with not even one can of tear gas fired, the day ended as it had begun: with Saakashvili still president, and the opposition still demanding his resignation.

More tension may come today, when demonstration leaders have directed protesters to block parliament, the president’s administration building and other “main building” entrances if he doesn’t resign by 4 p.m.

Both sides took credit for the peaceful first day protests. According to opposition leaders the peace lasted during the day because the protestors were “well organized and in a nonviolent mood,” said Zviad Dzidziguri, a prominent member of the Conservative Party. Government officials maintained the fact that the police was restrained and instructed not to obstruct any peaceful protests.

Some Georgian experts are saying that much depends on how long each side can maintain the goodwill.

“I don’t think that Government is concerned because of the protest yet. Everything depends on the development of the process. If the number of protesters will rise, than the government will think about compromise, if no they will continue pretending that nothing important has happened,”said Vladimer Papava, a Professor of Economics and a Senior Fellow of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies.

Another political scientist, Soso Tsiskarishvili, who ran Georgia’s External Economic Relationships Department under ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze, adding:

“The side which will use violence first will lose.”

The day started uncharacteristically early for Georgia: at 5 a.m. about 60 people gathered in front of parliament to commemorate national holiday. Most of these people were going to participate in opposition protests later, but for the moment, they were lighting candles and laying flowers at a memorial in front of Parliament.

After meeting together in prayer, opposition leaders split off in four different places, meeting their supporters at 12 p.m. Gachechiladze and the Alliance for Georgia party gathered in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster building. Nino Burjanadze’s party, Democratic Movement – United Georgia, together with the youth movement branding themselves April 9 Headquarters, started from Tbilisi State University. National Forum and their supporters moved from Dinamo Stadium, while the Avlabari Metro station was the starting place for the Conservative party and Movement for United Georgia.

At about 2:30 p.m. all of the protesters met in front of the parliament, joined by tens of thousands of others. Poet Dato Magradze read the statement written by the opposition saying that this is the last chance for the government and that the protesters will not leave until their main demand – resignation of President – will be fulfilled.

Almost all leaders of oppositional parties addressed protesters with textbook speeches promising few concrete future actions. The appearance of Nino Burjanadze, former Saakashvili administration anchor turned opposition, was met by whistles and boos. She apologized to the crowd for not being able to protect them during the protest of November 7, 2007.

“Nino it’s too late,” shouted some protestors. Many are angry that Burjanadze didn’t do more to curb Saakashvili over the past four years. They also don’t trust her connections, including her father, a flour mogul, and her husband, a high ranking official during former President Eduard Schevardnadze’s time.

About 4 p.m. part of protesters an oppositional leader’s decided to go back to the building of the Public Broadcaster to complain about not showing complete coverage of demonstrations. Read more on this story here: www.ketiebanoidze.wordpress.com

Couple of hundred protesters stayed in front who ran Georgia’s External Economic Relationships Department under ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze of the Parliament building during the night and during the day on Friday. Read more here: www.radiobedniereba.wordpress.com

-By Lika Kasradze, Ia Gavasheli and Natalie Nozadze