"Georgian Dream" blames president's supporters for provocation in Adzharian village of Beshumi

Supporters of the ruling party "United National Movement", purposefully brought to the village of Beshumi in Adzharia for the "Shuamtoba" holiday, blocked the way to billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and leaders of the coalition "Georgian Dream". During the conflict several journalists suffered, activists of the coalition assert.

The popular holiday was planned for August 4-5. The village event was attended by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who addressed his speech to activists of the party in power.

About 40 minutes after Saakashvili left, Bidzina Ivanishvili appeared in the village, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

"The police asked the activists of the 'Georgian Dream' not to ascend to the place of the action, since two manifestations were impossible in one and the same place. After Ivanishvili's appearance, activists of the "National Movement" began shouting "Go away! Go away!", the "Imedi" TV Company reports.

"We came there to take part in the holiday. We were in the centre of Beshumi and met the population. Yesterday, starting from 2 a.m., activists of the 'United National Movement' brought people from different parts of the country (their members) – Sonder teams. They rendered resistance to us," Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the coalition "Georgian Dream", said as quoted by the "Rustavi-2" TV Company.

"Saakashvili has transformed a folk holiday into a military parade. He brought men with submachine guns, who would not let us to the concert. However, we still got there and congratulated the people on the holiday," said Murman Dumbadze, a candidate for the Georgian Parliament from the "Georgian Dream".

According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), law enforcers took appropriate measures to prevent a conflict that could happen between locals and various groups of visitors. Now, the situation in the village of Beshumi is stable.

"Shuamtoba" is a popular mountain holiday, associated with animal husbandry, which is traditionally held in the first week of August.