PM chased away by Tbilisi protesters

The PM of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili arrived at the Tbilisi parliament building to address protesters who were gathered by the father of a 16-year-old teenager killed in December 2017.

The head of the government, microphone in hand, tried to speak to the crowd on several occasions to try and explain what steps were being taken by the government to find the individuals guilty of the murder of David Saralidze.

However, the crowd interrupted him and prevented him from speaking.

“You came here to trick us,” they said.

Having waited a while, Kvirikashvili tried again to explain. He promised that another investigation into the murder would be conducted, and this time not by the prosecutor’s office but by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

However, he was booed even louder followed by “go away!”. Plastic bottles were also thrown at the PM. His guards guided him away from the square in front of the parliament building.

After this, the father of the deceased, Zaza Saralidze, spoke.

He told demonstrators that the PM had come to the protest not to express his sympathy but to ‘trick them again’.

The situation at the parliament remains tense. The protestors do not intend to leave anytime soon. They are also demanding the resignation of several government figures.