Ruling party head says “unacceptable” for MEP to join protest rally of political party
She added she was joining Saturday’s protest to show “solidarity” with the sentenced individual and to Georgian citizens “who support pro-Western and pro-European positions”. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday called the fact of Viola von Cramon, a member of the European Parliament, joining a rally organised in Tbilisi by a domestic political party on Saturday “unacceptable”, adding it “once again” showed her “attitude towards the Georgian state”.
The comment of the GD official came after von Cramon joined the protest in support of a citizen sentenced to preventive detention by Tbilisi City Court on Friday for having thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement and set fire to a police car during last month’s protests in Tbilisi against the proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Kobakhidze said von Cramon’s participation in the rally - called by the European Georgia opposition party - showed her “disdainful attitude”, and added “[w]hen an MEP attends a protest rally of any political party, this is already unacceptable and once again shows the attitude towards the Georgian state - an attitude that is simply not correct”.
Von Cramon said while she accepted that the attacks on police by the protester could be subject of a criminal case, she found it “unacceptable” for authorities to “single out” the person in question in comments at the Parliament and suggest “he or a specific group of people were undermining the protest”.
She added she was joining Saturday’s protest to show “solidarity” with the sentenced individual and to Georgian citizens “who support pro-Western and pro-European positions”.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said on March 30 it had arrested the offender for the acts during the protests in Tbilisi between March 7-9, adding he also had earlier records of disobedience to police officers and charges of domestic violence.
The demonstrations resulted in the ruling Georgian Dream party withdrawing the bill that called for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “agents of foreign influence” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
The controversial legislative proposal was met with a backlash by domestic opposition, civil sector and diplomatic representations in the country, as well as public rallies outside the legislative body before it was shelved.
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Friday said 58 law enforcement officers had received “various injuries” while ensuring safety during the rallies in central Tbilisi on Tuesday and Wednesday that protested the Parliament’s discussion of the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said protesters attacking law enforcement at rallies was “unacceptable” and a “red line on which we will be uncompromising”, amid the case of a citizen charged with violence during last month’s demonstrations in Tbilisi.
Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament’s Vice Speaker, on Monday claimed the “radical” domestic opposition had “used the youth for their political purposes” during last month’s protests in Tbilisi against the proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday claimed the plan of the opposition United National Movement party was to ensure the country did not receive the European Union membership candidate status and use the outcome to replace the Government.
Gia Volski, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Sunday said the member of the European parliament Viola von Cramon, was “part of a plot” against Georgia.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Saturday said the individuals protesting outside the Parliament building against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence - whether urged by opposition or not - had taken “completely unusual steps”.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia on Monday rejected claims of an individual arrested for assaulting police during last month’s protests in Tbilisi against the bill on transparency of foreign influence having had his hair shaven against his will and denied access to his legal team.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday challenged Salome Samadashvili, an MP for the opposition Lelo party, on her supportive comments about Lazare Grigoriadis, the protester arrested for alleged assault on law enforcement officers during last month's public rallies in Tbilisi, by asking her if she would "thank" the latter if it was proven by courts that he "poured gasoline on and set another person on fire".