Thousands of demonstrators formed human chains in cities across Georgia on Saturday, the day before the inauguration of the country's new pro-Russia president, who opponents say was elected via an "illegitimate" vote in November. <br><span class="m-pub-dates__date">Issued on: <time datetime="2024-12-28T15:43:04+0000" pubdate="pubdate">28/12/2024 - 16:43</time></span><br>Thousands of Georgians formed human chains across the country on Saturday, in support of the <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/tag/european-union/" target="_self" class="gtm-add-suggested-tag">European Union</a> membership, marking second month of their daily pro-Europe rallies.<br>Mass street protests gripped Georgia since November 28, when the ruling Georgian Dream party's increasingly authoritarian government said it will not seek the opening of EU accession talks until 2028.<br>The protest came a day before a controversial inauguration of Georgian Dream loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country's new president, after his election was declared "illegitimate" by the current leader <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/tag/salome-zurabishvili/" target="_self" class="gtm-add-suggested-tag">Salome Zurabishvili</a> and the pro-Western opposition.<br>On Saturday afternoon, thousands of demonstrators, waving Georgian and EU flags, lined the Mtkvari River embankment and several bridges in the capital, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/tag/tbilisi/" target="_self" class="gtm-add-suggested-tag">Tbilisi</a>, forming a kilometres-long human chain, an AFP reporter saw.<br>"I Want to Hold Your Hand," a hit song by the English rock band the Beatles, echoed from speakers mounted on a car as it drove along the human chain.<br>Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the ruling party -- has joined the demonstrators at Tbilisi's Dry Bridge.<br>Similar rallies were held across Georgia, including in the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Poti, Samtredia, Rustavi, Gori, Khashuri, Telavi and Gurjaani, local media reported.<br>On the Metekhi Bridge in Tbilisi's historic district, protesters displayed a banner reading "Freedom for political prisoners."<br>"We demand fresh elections," read another banner at Tbilisi's modernist Peace Bridge.<br>"Everyone must understand that the protests will not stop until all the demands are met," one demonstrator, a 23-year-old international relations student Teimuraz Tsiklauri, told AFP.<br>Protesters then marched to their usual gathering spot outside parliament.<br>In the first 10 days of protests, riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators -- some of whom threw fireworks and stones.<br>The interior ministry reported more than 400 arrests, while the country's top human rights official, ombudsman Levan Ioseliani and <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/tag/amnesty-international/" target="_self" class="gtm-add-suggested-tag">Amnesty International</a> have accused security forces of "torturing" those detained.<br>The reported police brutality has drawn growing international condemnation, with Washington and several European countries imposing visa bans on Georgian Dream officials.<br>On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Georgia's former prime minister and the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying he undermined the country's democratic future for Russia's benefit.<br>Oligarch Ivanishvili, Georgia's richest man, is widely regarded as the de facto leader of Georgia, despite holding no official position.<br>The EU-candidate Black Sea nation's government faces accusations of an authoritarian, pro-Russian shift that has undermined Georgia's EU bid, a goal enshrined in the constitution and supported by 80 percent of the population.<br><em>(AFP)</em><br> © 2024 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM.<a href="https://www.acpm.fr/Support-Numerique/site/france24-com" class="a-brand-logo a-svg a-svg--logo-acpm" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" title="ACPM"> ACPM</a> <br>The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.<br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirwFBVV95cUxNYVd4c2tEblFMREVXQ29VM2ZaZlpubzZFZlQ1LXJySUtzM2hhLXVKQ0Q3M2xnYU9jcC00UVNvWUt0bmE5TDBhOFI1dzBQLTBCLTBjalNTMnFxZWFjQW41MHN2N09DbzFLUFV5dWhEN1dVaXNRZmluN3BlazBtSERybWdXODYxMnliSjdmOEszcHZMVlBPaWYtUHVEZ1JmRTktbVRtS1UtRGpOVnJYczBj?oc=5">source</a>
