Opposition Vows More Picketing from Monday
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 11 Apr.'09 / 20:57

Opposition leaders told protesters at the rally outside the Parliament late on Saturday evening that “new wave” of demonstration would cover entire Georgia from Monday.

“It would involve picketing of more [government] buildings in Tbilisi and not only in Tbilisi,” Zviad Dzidziguri, co-leader of Conservative Party, said in an announcement made on behalf of the rallies’ organizing committee, involving more than dozen of opposition parties.

“We should definitely continue this struggle. Our only demand remains Saakashvili’s resignation and we will definitely achieve this goal,” Nino Burjanadze, the leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia party, told few thousand protesters standing under rain.

Davit Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party, which is part of the Alliance for Georgia, said: “The longer they continue to test our endurance, the stricter the answer of our society will be… We will widen our front and this front will cover entire Georgia. We will show how one should struggle… We will deal with Saakashvili’s incapable regime very soon.”

In their speeches opposition leaders were urging supporters for higher turnout at the rally on Monday.

“A new wave will start from Monday and it will sharper than before. Therefore, I address our compatriots, who watch the rallies on Maestro or Kavkasia [two Tbilisi-based television stations, which were covering rallies extensively, including in live], I call on everybody to come and stand here, it is our duty; we should show that we are not tired. From Monday we will start picketing of more buildings, but we do not plan to burst into any of them. This is a peaceful struggle,” Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of New Rights Party, which is part of Alliance for Georgia, said.
 
Zviad Dzidziguri of the Conservative Party said at the rally: “Life has never been changed for better by staying at home.”

There have been reports, coming mainly from opposition leaders, that unknown persons, in some cases, in masks were physically assaulting opposition activists in various parts of the capital city. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that it was studying each allegation of that type. It said some of those reports were not confirmed, while investigation was ongoing on others. Irakli Alasania, the leader of Alliance of Georgia, said that this type of “petty incidents and provocations” were very dangerous as they were only contributing to increase of tension.

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