GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze says that ahead of the October 4 rally, his government’s key priority is identifying violent protesters. At the briefing, he stressed that law enforcement officers have been instructed to act strictly within the framework of the law.
“We not only call, but also give direct instructions to law enforcement agencies to ensure protection and enforcement of the law. Our main task, our main concern, is identifying violent protesters. If during the previous events we managed to identify about 3% of them, this time, if violence occurs, the rate of identification will be much higher,” Kobakhidze said.
GD Prime Minister downplayed the significance of the announced rally, saying it does not reflect public will. “This is not a public protest. Sometimes 50, 100, maximum 300 people gather. Tomorrow, you will see 100,000 citizens come out to support Georgian Dream. The real will of the people will be expressed in the elections, not in small rallies. As for so-called peaceful revolutions – such a thing does not exist. Revolution always implies violence,” he noted.
Kobakhidze added that all past attempts at revolutionary change in Georgia have failed and predicted the same outcome this time. “For 13 years, there have been multiple attempts, including four in the last four years. They all failed, and this one will fail even more easily. The place of violent perpetrators is in prison, as everyone saw after last year’s events. Therefore, we advise everyone not to get involved in violent processes and to consider the consequences under criminal law,” he warned.
