Thread by @IneBackIversen

🧵 🇬🇪1) Let’s go through the past 24h in Tbilisi, Georgia. A lot has happened during the night and morning hours. From the result today, we know, this is not the end.

Protesters have gathered for days already, but this night was of particular importance.

Here’s a breakdown :

2) May 13th “The Russian law” is set to be considered in the parliament, it can go into effect tomorrow. Therefore a large protest was planned for people to stay outside of the parliament building during the whole night.
Many bringing sleeping bags, ballgames and music.

🔴 3) 22:00 - the rally in front of parliament was set to begin. Already long before this people were making their way to the center. Including by the subway that was packed long before the planned start.
🎥Formula

🔴 4) It didn’t take long for the area of Rustaveli Avenue by the parliament building to be packed with people. The sound of the national anthem was played several times during the night. So was the anthem of EU.

🔴 5) People were dancing, playing ballgames and all and all keeping the spirits high during the night.

🔴 6) For seven hours straight during the night, there was not a single incident; those gathered sang, danced, some students were holding appeals and prepared for bigger speeches.

Drone footage from: Formula

🔴7) 2:30am the weather was less then pleasant but neither the rain nor the cold winds seem to bother the protester who all seem to have come well prepared for that as well. Several people were handing out snacks, hot drinks and water in many areas. Video: zjavakhadze jamnews

🔴 8) Speakers at the rally in front of the Georgian parliament were holding appeals stating that the majority of people would start to arrive around 4-5 a.m. and even more people at 9. The aim was always to be there when the parliament workers arrive to the square.

🔴 9) At around 4am in the morning the sighting of large busses of special forces on Freedom Square began to appear, at the same time the police began to converge on the upper entrance to parliament.

Video: zjavakhadze & TV Pirveli

🔴 10) Around sunrise, the leaders of the rally called on the protesters to go to the upper entrance to parliament.
Where the special forces was already shaping up en mass.

🔴 11) 05:37 The Ministry of Internal Affairs demanded that the protesters clear the entrances so that deputies could pass through.

At Freedom Square to Rustaveli Avenue some of the protesters stand in front of the special forces and chant “Long live Georgia.” 🥹✊🏻🇬🇪

🔴12) From Rustaveli Avenue many of the opposition leaders also joined in among them:Giorgi Vashadze (Agmashenebeli Strategy), Aleko Elisashvili (Citizens), Nika Melia (Akhali), Sopho Japaridze (UNM - Saakashvili’s representative), Sergo Chikhladze (Lelo), Elene Khoshtaria (Droa)

🔴13) Around 06:00, police and special forces began to violently push protesters out of the upper streets and cleared the upper entrance.

🔴14) From Freedom Square, special forces are moving very slowly, literally centimeters at a time.

🔴15) 06:50 people are detained. Near the Parliament some protester were even pulled out, and at some point the police seem to be competing on who can do the most damage. It’s not only disturbing, this is like taken out of the russian playbook of "law & order"
Video by Publika

🔴16) Almost all the protesters were forced out by the huge amount of police officers from the territory in the backyard of the Parliament.

Video by Fedor Khudokormov

🔴17) Meanwhile, on the inside the Committee on Legal Affairs of the Georgian Parliament took no less then 1 MIN & 7 SEC 🙄to support the bill “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence” aka “Russian law” meaning the draft will be put to a vote at the plenary session tomorrow.

🔴18) Outside 20 protesters have so far been confirmed arrested. Human rights activists have already called on the head of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, to immediately make a statement regarding the beating of the rally participants by the police.