Tbilisi Awakens After a Tumultuous Night: What's Happening at the Center of the Protests

Police are present on Rustaveli Avenue, arrests are being made, and a 16-hour protest is underway. This is the current situation in the center of Georgia's capital, as reported by Sputnik Georgia.

As of now, the protest, which began at 3:00 PM on March 8, has moved towards the Rustaveli metro station, where several dozen aggressive young individuals remain. Meanwhile, law enforcement has conducted over an hour of continuous arrests.

The Timeline of Protests

The action against the controversial "Foreign Agents" legislation began at noon on March 8, near the parliament building in central Tbilisi, gathering around 10,000 people. By 10 PM, the situation escalated.

Initially, participants presented an ultimatum to representatives of the ruling "Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia" party, demanding the withdrawal of the controversial bill and the release of those detained during the March 7 protests. The ruling party did not meet the ultimatum, after which participants decided to block the Parliament of Georgia and prevent the parliamentary session scheduled for March 9 from taking place.

As soon as protesters surrounded the parliament, some aggressive demonstrators broke through barriers at the official entrance, shattered windows on the first floor of the legislative body, and began throwing stones and other objects at the police.

The police have deployed water cannons, while Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili described the situation as an attempt to storm the parliament. "Today, the radical opposition is engaged in storming the parliament with radical activists," Papuashvili commented on the situation outside the parliament.

However, about an hour after the first confrontation, the situation escalated near the parliament. Protesters began smashing vehicles parked near the epicenter of the demonstration and overturned police cars.

The police actively started using tear gas and water cannons, pushing demonstrators away from the parliament building towards Rustaveli Avenue. Some young individuals behaved extremely aggressively, throwing various objects and paint at police officers, erecting barricades, and damaging bus stops and benches while simultaneously vandalizing vehicles.

Fires broke out in several locations, with several television channels airing footage of cocktails being prepared. Later, demonstrators towed a car to the street adjacent to the "Tbilisi Marriott" hotel and set it on fire.

Subsequently, the police took decisive action and began pushing demonstrators toward the Rustaveli metro station. Mass arrests then commenced, with law enforcement using force against several of those detained.