President on DW - This is a massive national protest against the usurpation of power and attempts to push Georgia towards Russia - The Russian system is gaining a foothold in Georgia and the population is protesting this en masse

This is a massive national protest against the usurpation of power and the attempt to push Georgia towards Russia or towards Russia, - Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

“This is not just water cannons and arrests. There is systemic violence against demonstrators, there is systemic violence against the Georgian population, who were deprived of their vote in the elections. They were gradually deprived of all the institutions in the country.

The Russian system is gaining a foothold in Georgia and this is what the Georgian population is protesting en masse in Tbilisi these days, and what is very new in Georgia is that the protests are spreading to all major cities in Georgia. Protests are also growing in the civil service, where people are signing public protests or leaving their positions, including in the diplomatic community, especially in embassies in the European Union.

This is a massive national protest against the usurpation of power and attempts to push Georgia towards Russia or into Russia," Zurabishvili said.