This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7082317.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Police dispel Georgia protesters | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Georgian police have used tear gas and water cannons to dispel opposition demonstrators staging a sixth day of protests in the capital, Tbilisi. | |
Several people were injured during the clash on the city's main street in front of parliament. | |
The protesters had been regrouping after an earlier police action forced them off the street. | |
President Mikhail Saakashvili has rejected the protesters' accusations of corruption and says he will not quit. | |
Police used tear gas and water cannons after thousands of protesters tried to reclaim Rustaveli Avenue - Tbilisi's main thoroughfare. | |
The BBC's Matthew Collin in Tbilisi says the police action provoked chaos among the demonstrators, sending them running for cover. | |
The protesters say the police response demonstrates Mr Saakashvili's authoritarian tendencies. | |
The protesters are also demanding early elections | |
The opposition said police had arrested two of its leaders and beaten several of its supporters during an earlier raid. | |
The authorities said they had to act to unblock the city's main thoroughfare and stop protesters from setting up a tent camp there. A government official said the rally could continue on the pavement. | |
'Baseless' allegations | |
Opposition supporters have been gathering outside parliament every day since Friday, when 50,000 people attended the largest street protest seen since the 2003 "Rose Revolution" that brought pro-Western Mr Saakashvili to power. | |
The protesters accuse him of corruption and of not doing enough to tackle poverty. | |
They are calling for the president's resignation and want a fresh election. | They are calling for the president's resignation and want a fresh election. |
Many of the protesters back the president's former ally, Irakli Okruashvili, who was arrested last month. | |
Mr Okruashvili was detained shortly after he said Mr Saakashvili had plotted to kill a top businessman. He was later released on a multimillion-dollar bail and went to Germany. | Mr Okruashvili was detained shortly after he said Mr Saakashvili had plotted to kill a top businessman. He was later released on a multimillion-dollar bail and went to Germany. |
The government says Mr Okruashvili's accusations are "false and baseless". | The government says Mr Okruashvili's accusations are "false and baseless". |