Greta Thunberg joins protest outside Georgian parliament
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of demonstrators who marched on the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi on Monday as they protested against what they say was a rigged election last month.
The parliamentary elections in the former Soviet republic took place on October 26, with the ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates pragmatic relations with Russia, winning around 54% of the vote.
Various opposition parties each garnered between 11% and 3%.
The opposition has refused to recognize the results of the poll, insisting they were falsified. President Salome Zourabichvili has backed these claims, urging the people to protest and saying Georgia had become a “victim of a Russian special operation.”
In an interview with Reuters, however, she insisted that she was not directly accusing Moscow of meddling, saying only that the “methodology used in support of most probably Russian… types is shown in the election.”
“Of course, you cannot prove anything,” she admitted, while pointing to “clear links” between the ruling party and Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied the claims of election interference, stating that “it is the Georgian people’s business to make the relevant decisions.” He noted, however, that Moscow had seen “unprecedented interference attempts from the West.”
On November 4, scores of demonstrators marched towards the parliament building, waving Georgian, Ukrainian and EU flags, demanding an election under international supervision. Opposition leaders vowed to boycott parliamentary sessions, saying they would not recognize the “illegitimate” legislature.
According to footage from the scene, the protests were peaceful but were held under the watch of riot police.
Thunberg explained that she had arrived in the Georgian capital to express solidarity with citizens who had taken to the streets to protect their “fundamental rights.”
“This is an outrageous and authoritarian development… I have great respect for the people who again and again fill the streets and use the right to demonstrate to express their dissatisfaction with the current situation, despite the oppression,” she added.
The 21-year-old activist has taken part in numerous rallies over the past month, including a pro-Palestinian protest in Copenhagen, where she was part of a group that attempted to occupy a university building.
