Students say “enough”

Students march against the new governmental political block

“It is enough! The government should not make decisions on our behalf” say students who organized a rally on April 14, protesting against the new pro-governmental alliance chaired by the President Eduard Shevardnadze and demanding increased responsibility from the government.

About 200 students marched from Tbilisi State University to the State Chancellery, chanting their slogan “Kmara” (“Enough”) and carrying the flags of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic with the faces of the current government leaders on them.

A rally took place on a symbolic day, as on April 14, 1978 Georgian students said decisive “no” abolishing Georgian as a state language. At that time, students say, Eduard Shevardnadze, a communist leader of Georgia had to yield to pressure.

The organizers of the events say they are not working for any political party and simply express their own ideas. “Journalists are asking us, whom [political group] we represent, but the answer is none, this is just our point of view”-Goga Oniani, undergraduate student at law department of Tbilisi State University, says.

Despite this declaration, certain students expressed their distrust to organizing group. “I am extremely sorry that some opposition groups and governmental parties use students for their purposes, students have to speak freely on their behalf”. Irakli Murtskhveladze, member of Tbilisi State University students’ steering government says. “Let everybody arrange the protest meeting frankly declaring their [political affiliation] names”-he added

Students were met with police cordon in front of the State Chancellery. They passed organized guards and burned red communist flags in front of the “president’s building”. Some of them threw the communist flags inside the chancellery yard saying “you will need them more that we do”.

From officials only Koba Narchemashvili, Minister of Internal Affairs, met students in front of the state Chancellery. “This is obvious certain political power leads these students, but I can not say who they are”-Minister Narchemashvili said. He asked the protesters to move to the cabinet and express their protest in a “civilized manner.”

Students left posters with their palms imprinted on them in front of the chancellery stating they are not afraid of the government. “We will continue the protest and we will not stop it. At least we can arrange fair elections in our country”-was the common idea of the protesters.