Georgia Protesters Battle Police in First Violent Outbreak

For the first time since April 9th anti-governmental protests in Georgia ended in violence. Activists from the country have been demonstrating outside of a police barricade for the past month in opposition to President Mikheil Saakashvili. According to reports, police used force against the demonstrators in defense of their station. The conflict arose when activists, such as famous singer Giorgi Gachechiladze, climbed over the police barricade. Police officers responded by clubbing the crowds, resulting in injuries against 13 demonstrators and police officers. The opposition leader, Nino Burjanadze, attempted to control the crowd but was unsuccesful.