Georgia: Concerns emerge over opposition protests

As the opposition blocks off main roads in Tbilisi, some bloggers and other online commentators are starting to question the tactics employed by protesters in the Georgian capital. Nevertheless, most are thankful that the protests have not resulted in major clashes.

The New Atlanticist blog, for example, is especially grateful, and not least because the start of the demonstrations calling for Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s resignation marked the 20th anniversary of one of the darkest days in the country’s recent history.

The choice of April 9 as the day to launch the protests is fraught with symbolism for Georgians and it imposes significant responsibility on them. […]

So far, ordinary people participating in the demonstrations have borne that responsibility well. […] Apart from […] a few scuffles in the crowd and sporadic claims of beatings, there has been no violence and no broken windows. This is all the more remarkable because, following a conscious government decision, the police have kept away from demonstration venues.

[…]

However, April is not yet over, and across every positive development blows a countervailing wind. […] People of goodwill can build upon that achievement with peaceful and constructive dialog. Some opposition leaders already speak in such terms.

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