Anti-government rally held in Georgia

About 500 demonstrators have taken to the streets of Tbilisi to commemorate the anniversary of a police attack on opposition supporters in Georgia.

In November 2007, riot police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of protesters, who were demanding President Mikheil Saakashvili's resignation.

"Two years ago Saakashvili showed the whole world his real face and that we are dealing with authoritarianism," said opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze on Saturday.

In 2007, authorities forcefully shut down a pro-opposition television channel, AFP reported.

Last spring, opposition supporters held daily rallies to demand the resignation of the president's, whom they accused of being autocratic and of mishandling last year's Georgia-Russia war.

However, the protests fizzled after several weeks and Saakashvili vowed to stay in office until the end of his second term in 2013.