Georgian PM vows crackdown on opposition after protests, accuses EU of meddling

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00:01Tent scenes here on the streets of Tbilisi as a group of anti-government protesters try

00:05to storm the presidential palace and police use water cannons to repel them.

00:11Earlier tens of thousands marched through the city in what organizers said was a show

00:15of defiance against the governing Georgian Dream Party.

00:19Critics of the party accuse it of being authoritarian and pro-Russian.

00:23We fight for our rights, for independence, we want to be our country a member of European

00:30Union.

00:31So we don't want to be Russia, we don't want to enter in Russia to return in Soviet Republic.

00:38So we fight for our rights, for independence, for justice and for human rights.

00:44That's expression of deep crisis which is absolutely formed by our pro-Russian and

00:49authoritarian government and that's what's happening now.

00:53The demonstration took place on the same day as local elections, with Georgian Dream stating

00:58it had claimed victory in every municipality across the country.

01:02It comes after a clampdown on activists and political opposition in recent months, with

01:07many of the leaders of the pro-Western opposition now in prison.

01:11The country's prime minister accused the protest organizers of radicalism.

01:15We warned these individuals that the strictest measures would be taken and those measures

01:21are being implemented.

01:23Any attempt at violence will be stopped and strict measures will continue to be enforced

01:27in the days ahead.

01:28What we saw at the presidential palace constitutes a criminal offense and every person involved

01:34in this violent act will be held responsible.

01:36Georgia's pro-Western opposition has been staging demonstrations since October last year, when

01:45Georgian Dream claimed victory in a parliamentary election that the opposition says was stolen.

01:51The government has frozen discussions on joining the EU, bringing a long-standing national

01:55goal to a halt.

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