Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze, whose country has been engulfed in pro-European demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police since last week, today attacked non-governmental organizations and his political opponents, accusing them of orchestrating the violence.
Opposition politicians organized the violence in recent days, he said at a press conference and accused non-governmental organizations of providing equipment to the protesters and warned that they would not avoid responsibility.
Twenty-six people, most of them demonstrators, were injured during last night's clashes with the police in Georgia, the authorities announced today after the fifth consecutive day of pro-European protests.
New protests are being prepared for tonight, the sixth day in a row.
The ambulance transported 26 people to hospitals, including 23 protesters and three police officers, the Georgian Ministry of Health announced today.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Tbilisi again last night, the fifth consecutive day of large demonstrations against the government.
The Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, sparked protests on Thursday by deciding to postpone until 2028 the negotiations on joining the European Union, a goal outlined in the constitution of the country, a former Soviet republic.
The opposition accuses the government of wanting to get closer to Moscow and imitating its repressive and authoritarian methods.
Therefore, Georgians protest as much for the EU as against neighboring Russia, and demonstrators regularly chant anti-Kremlin slogans, writes France Presse.
Demonstrations are also taking place in other cities, such as Batumi, the second largest city in Georgia, local media reported.
"Throughout Georgia, people are rising up against the Russian puppet regime," said last night the Georgian pro-European president Salome Zourabishvili, assessing that this is an unprecedented movement.
She is in a complete rift with the government. Although the president has very limited powers, she is popular among protesters, the protests are spontaneous and organized online and have no political leader or real structure, according to France Press.
Last night, law enforcement used water cannons and tear gas since mid-evening to disperse the crowd, which retaliated by firing pyrotechnics.
Last night, as in the previous nights, the demonstrators deliberately stood in front of the jets of water.
Dozens of demonstrators, journalists and police officers have already been injured in clashes on the sidelines of those gatherings, but the exact number has not been determined.
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