Gas and water cannon dispelled opposition rally in Tbilisi

PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian police have used tear gas and water cannon to dispel opposition demonstrators staging a sixth day of protests in the capital, Tbilisi. Several people were injured during the clash on the city's main street in front of parliament. The protesters had been regrouping after an earlier police action forced them off the street.



President Mikhail Saakashvili has rejected the protesters' accusations of corruption and says he will not quit.



Police used tear gas and water cannon after thousands of protesters tried to reclaim Rustaveli Avenue - Tbilisi's main thoroughfare.



The police action provoked chaos among the demonstrators, sending them running for cover.



The protesters say the police response demonstrates Mr Saakashvili's authoritarian tendencies.



The opposition said police had arrested two of its leaders, including former State Minister Giorgi Khaindrava and beaten several of its supporters during an earlier raid.



The authorities said they had to act to unblock the city's main thoroughfare and stop protesters from setting up a tent camp there. A government official said the rally could continue on the pavement.



Opposition supporters have been gathering outside parliament every day since Friday, when 50,000 people attended the largest street protest seen since the 2003 "Rose Revolution" that brought pro-Western Mr Saakashvili to power.



The protesters accuse him of corruption and of not doing enough to tackle poverty.



They are calling for the president's resignation and want a fresh election.