OPPOSITION KICKS OFF DAY OF PROTEST, OKRUASHVILI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002719 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: OPPOSITION KICKS OFF DAY OF PROTEST, OKRUASHVILI LEAVES GEORGIA Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Protesters arrived from outside Tbilisi on November 1 in anticipation of the November 2 opposition rally at the Parliament Building. Media reported that police in various Western Georgian districts were taking measures to block roads or confiscate drivers' licenses to prevent protesters from reaching Tbilisi. The government has vowed to protect the rights of the rally attendees to demonstrate, and called for peaceful protest. By 2:30 p.m. on November 2, the official start of the protest, an estimated 30-50,000 people were in front of the Parliament, thronging Rustaveli Avenue. The crowd is calm, and many people from the regions succeeded in reaching Tbilisi. Demonstrators are carrying party flags, but hearing speeches is difficult if one is not close to the Parliament building. Badri Patarkatsishvili will not attend the rally. Patarkatsishvili told the Ambassador he does not want violence and sought his advice in a call on the morning of November 2. Irakli Okruashvili will not attend the rally either. The government granted permission for Okruashvili to go to France for unspecified medical treatment on November 1. When he arrived in Munich he changed his plans and did not go on to Paris. His whereabouts are unknown at this time. Opposition leaders claim he was threatened with arrest in order to force his departure. End Summary. Protesters Arrive From Regions, Rumors of Roadblocks -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Opposition supporters began arriving in Tbilisi on November 1 in advance of demonstrations called by the United Opposition for November 2. At 23:00 a small crowd had gathered in front of the Parliament Building but had dispersed by 3:00 a.m. Imedi TV, owned by Patarkatsishvili, ran live footage in the evening showing cars and minibuses arriving from the western districts. Republican Party MP David Berdzenishvili claimed at least a thousand cars would arrive from Batumi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi, Akhaltsikhe in Western Georgia and Kakheti in the East. Media reports said police had blocked the Chakvi tunnel, the most direct route from the West to Tbilisi, and had put up concrete barricades in the town of Chakvi. The television showed individuals moving the concrete barricades to allow cars to pass. There were other media reports of nails placed in the road to Tbilisi from Zugdidi and confiscation of drivers licenses by police. ¶3. (U) Imedi TV has devoted the bulk of its coverage to opposition leaders. MP Gia Torladze, a member of Okruashvili's party, said the protests would continue if the demands of the opposition were not met. Conservative MP Koba Davitashvili stressed the need for dialogue, but remained critical of the government in his statements. Salome Zurabichvili and Shalva Natelashvili also were drumming up support in the press for the November 2 rally. The Industrialists announced they would participate, but the New Rightists said they planned to stay out of the protest unless "forced" to join. ¶4. (U) Unofficial estimates put the number of participants at between 30 and 50 thousand by the official 2:30 p.m. start time of the protest on Rustaveli Avenue in downtown Tbilisi, centering on the Parliament Building. The crowd is calm, and content mostly to stand around talking. Although it is mixed in age, older Georgians predominate. Many are from outside of Tbilisi. Because of the size of the crowd, it is difficult to hear speeches from the front of the Parliament. Only a few hand-lettered signs are in evidence, but many supporters are carrying their parties' flags through the streets. Crowd control is good and security is relaxed; police are holding back from the streets themselves. Government Response to Protest -------------- ¶5. (U) Police have sealed off streets and areas surrounding central Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue in fulfillment of the city's pledge to provide security at the rally. Government representatives have stressed that such a protest is the "right of the people" but Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava called the opposition rally an "untalented attempt to imitate the 2003 (Rose Revolution)." He also said the government will protect the people's rights. Speaker Nino Burjanadze called on protesters with "genuine concerns" not to pander to the interests of those who seek to destabilize the government. Okruashvili Leaves Georgia -------------- TBILISI 00002719 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Irakli Okruashvili left Georgia on November 1, arriving in Munich en route to France. However, he changed his itinerary in Munich and his current whereabouts are unknown. The General Prosecutor's office released a statement November 1 stating Okruashvili was granted permission to leave Georgia to seek unspecified medical treatment. Eka Beselia, Okruashvili's attorney and a member of Movement for United Georgia, said Okruashvili had planned to attend the rally but the government forced him to leave Georgia and had threatened him with arrest. Patarkatsishvili Will Not Attend Rally -------------- ¶7. (C) Badri Patarkatsishvili said he would not attend the November 2 rally. He insists he will only finance a constitutional change of power, as "Georgia cannot survive another revolution." At 2:00 p.m. on November 2, as the demonstration was beginning, Patarkatsishvili called the Ambassador to tell him directly that he would only pursue change through constitutional means. He asked the Ambassador for his advice if the crowd gets out of control. The Ambassador repeated what Assistant Secretary Fried had said to the opposition and the government as well as at the Tbilisi Summit Conference on November 1: The United States supports dialogue and we hope there will be no violence. By his call, Patarkatsishvili seemed to be trying to avoid responsibility for whatever happens at the protest. TEFFT