Georgian Demonstrators Try to Breach Tbilisi Presidential Palace
Law enforcement in Georgia have engaged with anti-government demonstrators trying to enter the presidential palace in the main city, Tbilisi.
Security forces deployed high-pressure water jets and irritant spray to break up the protesters.
The Caucasus country has been in crisis since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in last year's parliamentary election, which the pro-European Union opposition alleges was fraudulent. Since then, the administration has halted negotiations on entering the EU.
The demonstration occurred on the identical day as local elections, which the opposition is predominantly boycotting following a government repression. A protest leader had earlier demanded leaders of the Georgian Dream party to be arrested.
Displaying national and EU flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in downtown Tbilisi on the weekend.
One of the organisers, vocalist the protest leader, announced a declaration encouraging the personnel of the interior ministry to follow the will of the people and to immediately apprehend several senior figures from the Georgian Dream party.
Protesters then marched on the presidential palace and attempted to access the compound, prompting riot police to use chemical irritants.
The demonstration follows a crackdown on activists, free press and opposition groups in the past few months, with the majority of the figureheads of the Western-aligned dissent now behind bars.
