Need for civil disobedience
Posted by Anna Dolidze at 4/12/2009 2:57 PM 
Categories: civil disobedience in Georgia
Tags: civil disobedience
Categories: civil disobedience in Georgia
Tags: civil disobedience
I believe that it is impossible to change things for the better in Georgia without peaceful civil disobedience. Saakashvili and his comrades (neo-bolshevik style retained!) will not leave their posts voluntarily. Ousting them with force and with unconstitutional means is unacceptable. The only viable method is to withdraw support and cooperation from the authoritarian regime though disobeying its illegal orders. This should not be surprising to Americans, that have attained progress through civil disobedience during the civil rights movement; And neither to the British, that gave up India after civil disobedience campaign led by Gandhi. Opposition, if dedicated and committed to the cause and sacrifice, could start disobedience with really a small number of activists. Large public support will come later.
Hi Anna,
I think the thoughts reflected in your post about the “third platform” bear consideration – though as it seems the opposition does not have a platform (much less a party base, which is what they should have spent the past five years building), I wonder where we begin our counting.
I can't agree, though, with your two posts on civil disobedience. First of all, the example you link to in the video clip is arguably not an act of civil disobedience, nor is it a particularly constructive act of provocation of the police. Civil disobedience is predicated on the connection between action and law: the act of not obeying the law you wish to change, and refusing to comply without anger or retaliation. Eating lunch at a segregated lunch counter to change segregation laws connects disobedience to the expected change. What law do those men in the video want to change? The one against putting graffiti and stickers up and defacement of public property? This clip is at best a piece of irresponsible filmmaking, in its splicing to your speech in New York, and at worst, borders on astroturfing – the expression and tone the two perpetrators use is far stronger than its translation and to a non-Georgian speaking audience, misleading. After viewing it, I am most impressed by the amazingly well-trained Tbilisi police. Nobody’s touched the camera operator, nobody’s interfered violently. Do that in-your-face provocation of police one of the men takes in any western country and you’d be down at the station.
Second, I find your use of the meaningless newspeak term “neo-bolshevik” inexplicable and incendiary, particularly in the context of April 9th. Surely you can discuss your dislike for Saakashvili’s platform and actions without resorting to the misuse of Orwellian symbolism.
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Civic disobideience agaisnt what?
So when we have 20% of land occupied by genocidal agressor the opposition want to start civil disobedience against own government. Priceless
Anyway disregard who Saakashvili is I don't want grechiha as a president.
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