The Georgian Security Service sees the protests and riots as an attempt to overthrow the Government

The SSEG speaks of a “planned provocation” and urges the population not to participate in the protests

Nov. 30 () –

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSEG) has warned this Saturday that it is beginning to study the protests and riots that have occurred especially in recent days in the capital, Tbilisi, as a possible “violent overthrow” of the Government.

Last night’s protests have left more than 100 arrested and at least a dozen police officers injured in a new episode of the enormous post-electoral tension in a country where the opposition, in which the pro-European president Salomé Zurabishvili participates, has accused the winner of the elections, Georgian Dream, led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobajidze, of having perpetrated electoral fraud with possible Russian intervention.

In the midst of this situation and in a statement published on its website, the SSEG warns that “the events that have occurred in the country in recent days have made it clear that the planned destructive processes coincide” with its investigation into a possible “violent overthrow of the government by the State.”

“We urge people to be careful and not join, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, in this planned provocation,” they added in their statement.

Meanwhile, four opposition coalitions and parties (Coalition for Change, Unity – National Movement, Strong Georgia and For Georgia) have published a joint statement calling for the immediate release of all those detained in the protests.

“Coalitions and parties with a legitimate mandate from the Georgian people stand together against the illegitimate regime of the Georgian Dream and the systematic violence organized by it against peaceful protesters and journalists.”

“With joint and coordinated efforts, we fought on the streets together with the Georgian people to save our common state and, within the framework of cooperation, we agreed to provide practical assistance to protesters, including legal, informational and medical support,” according to a statement collected by the regional news portal OCMedia.

In this situation, the opponents request “the holding of new elections with international participation, under the conditions of a new electoral administration and of a police and other politically neutral state bodies.”