Georgian PM says daily protest roadblocks violence of “the tiniest minority against the vast majority”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday defended the newly adopted legislation regulating street demonstrations, asserting that the law was a necessary response to what he termed “violence of the tiniest minority against the vast majority”.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Kobakhidze framed the new law as a measure to restore order and protect the interests of the general public, referencing specific protest rallies in the capital city of Tbilisi.

“When 50, or even 300 people, block the capital’s central avenue every single day for an entire year, this constitutes the violence of the tiniest minority against the vast majority. The Government is responsible to the overwhelming majority of this country’s citizens and cannot turn a blind eye to this”, the PM said.

He insisted that his Government had “no alternative” but to pass the legislation, which he claims is in full compliance with international standards.

“Try to block the central avenue of Helsinki with 50 people for a year. Try it and see what the reaction will be. As is customary in European cities, you would either be trampled by horses or severely struck by a heavy object - be it a baton or other types of weapons or ammunition. Who would let you block a street in Helsinki with 50 people for a year? This is absurd”, the PM concluded.