Four thousands of protesters gathered in front of Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev for a rally organized by the former Georgian president and governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, and other opposition leaders.
Saakashvili, who has been stripped of both his Georgian and Ukrainian citizenship, had called for the demonstration in a speech in Odesa last month after he returned to Ukraine in defiance of the government.
Saakashvili has pledged the demonstration would be peaceful, but security was tight. The authorities set up cordons in front of parliament and closed off streets in the government quarter of central Kyiv. Demonstrators could only enter the rally area after passing through metal detectors, RFE/RL reported.
Saakashvili forced his way back into Ukraine on September 10, defying border guards and vowing to reenter politics.
