Georgian Ruling Party Slams Opposition for ‘Extremism’ During Tbilisi Protests

Photo: commonspace.eu

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday accused the opposition of engaging in "extremism" and said their actions were being encouraged by foreign politicians.

Mdinaradze's remarks referred to a recent visit by European parliamentarians, who addressed demonstrators in Tbilisi last week, urging them to "fight against the stolen votes" from the previous month's parliamentary elections, The Caspian Post reports, citing Georgian media.

He said a “handful of individuals and the agent network opposition” could not be “allowed to paralyse the capital city”, and further added the Government would “not tolerate the development”.

The ruling party official extended his gratitude to the police and the Minister of Internal Affairs for enforcing the law “in a peaceful manner” in their dispersal of the rally on Tuesday.

"The police made the correct decision to enforce the law. This extremism, carried out by the agent network opposition, has been encouraged by foreign politicians who arrived in Georgia in recent days, incited their agent network, called for a Maidan-style uprising, and then calmly returned to their countries," Mdinaradze continued.

He further denounced obstruction of reporters’ work at the rally as “unacceptable”.

Mdinaradze stressed the action constituted a crime under the Criminal Code of Georgia and expressed his regret that journalists of the “radical opposition media outlets” were “turning a blind eye to bullying and humiliation against their colleagues”.