Parliament's Sand Bag Issue

The protestors, Gigi Ugulava – one of the leaders of ‘European Georgia’ party – among them, engaged in verbal clashes with police officers near Parliament. The conflict arose when law enforcers wouldn’t allow the activists to bring sand sacks onto the territory near the Parliament building.
The activists claimed that they need sand to re-enforce the camps they had set up. They use these camps to keep warm, spend the night and picket the building of the Georgian Parliament. The policemen argued that the sand could ‘be hazardous’.

Ugulava had some minor clashes with the police, demanding an explanation for their not letting the truck carrying the sand bags to get to its destination. After approximately ten minutes of verbal conflict, the police, being unable to affirm their limitations on the sand bags with adequate articles from the Criminal Code of Georgia, allowed the bags to be placed in the camp area near the Parliamentary building. The officers’ demand, in addition, was that the activists carry them themselves – not letting the car get close to the protesting area. 

Giga Bokeria, one of the leaders of Movement for Liberty – European Georgia, reported that the ‘problem of the sand bags’ was resolved as the activists carried them on their backs to the camps set up in front of Parliament. The ‘sand bags incident’ has so far been the biggest conflict of the protest of November 17.

Contrary to their direct promise to police to use the sand bags in camp, the demonstrators are now using the sand bags to block the roads leading to the building of Parliament.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: Radio Tavisupleba.