The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a statement reviewing the protest rally held on March 8, near the Parliament building.
“The protest went on peacefully for several hours. Later, one of the rally participants, during his speech, called on the gathered people to picket the legislative body, followed by massive blocking of the entrances to the parliament by the rally participants and picketing the building. During the rally, police forces were stationed in the parliament building to prevent verbal and physical altercations with the rally participants.
As the statement reads, despite the warnings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the rally participants went beyond the norms established by the law on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, ignoring the lawful demands of the law enforcement officers.
“The gathered protesters behaved aggressively and damaged the protective barriers placed along the legislative body building, and entrance doors, smashed the building’s windows, and threw stones, various objects, and pyrotechnics into the parliament building and inner yard, which may have resulted in serious consequences,” reads the statement.
As the Ministry notes, forms of protest of the participants of the rally near the parliament building and on Rustaveli Avenue gradually became extremely violent. The police forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs applied respective coercive measures and special means provided by the Law of Georgia “On Police” in order to maintain order and prevent violent and aggressive actions of lawbreakers.
“The police tried to defuse the tense situation multiple times – they removed the aggressive persons from the territory surrounding the parliament and called on rally participants to disperse peacefully, however, they continued their violent actions and did not follow the legal demands of the law enforcement officers. The people gathered on Rustaveli Avenue started throwing the so-called “Molotov cocktails,” stones, wooden poles and other objects in the direction of law enforcers. Participants of the rally damaged, overturned and set fire to several vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, damaged a bus of the Special Tasks Department, a fire truck, buildings facades located on Rustaveli Avenue, and smashed shop windows. Those who gathered on Rustaveli Avenue also damaged material property owned by Tbilisi City Hall services, among others, they set fire to bins standing in the street and broke benches and public transport waiting spaces.
Participants of the rally violated the public order and the rule of law throughout the night at different locations and offered resistance to the police officers.
As a result of the violent actions of the protestors, up to 10 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs received injuries of various degrees. Citizens were injured as well,” reads the statement.
