Anger has exploded in Georgia following Prime Minister Irakli Kobajidze’s decision to suspend negotiations for accession to the European Union “until the end of 2028”. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in various cities across the nation, but especially in the capital Tbilisi, where tension skyrocketed with bins and other objects set on fire, and with the police responding with charges and the use of water cannons and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
Arrests
So far 43 people have been arrested and 32 security forces officers have been injured. The Interior Ministry said the demonstrators were stopped for “resisting law enforcement”. In particular, “some” protesters were accused of having carried out “provocative actions”, of having disobeyed police instructions, of having insulted the officers and of having “physically confronted them”.
It’s not a good morning in Georgia. Extreme force was used overnight to disperse a rally. Protesters report broken limbs and concussions. This level of violence was completely unnecessary, raising questions about why authorities escalated it likely fueling further protests. pic.twitter.com/RG2GZ2MLZx
— Olesya Vartanyan (@Olesya_vArt) November 29, 2024
The Georgian police, shortly after midnight, used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the demonstrators who protested until the early hours of this morning (Friday 29 November) in Tblisi waving flags of the European Union and Georgia and blocking traffic in front of Parliament and the headquarters of Georgian Dream, the party that won the disputed elections last month and which is accused of pro-Russian authoritarianism.
EU criticism
The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia said Tbilisi’s move to effectively halt its bid for EU membership until 2028 was “heartbreaking” and also condemned police violence against protesters. “We deplore that violence was used against peaceful protesters,” said the diplomat, Pawel Herczynski. “What happened yesterday clearly goes against the policy of the previous government of Georgia, indeed of all previous governments of Georgia, and also goes against the will of the vast majority of the population.”
Citizens in favor of membership
Opinion polls show that EU membership is supported by around 80 percent of citizens and joining the bloc is a goal written into the country’s constitution. Some 112 serving Georgian diplomats signed an open letter calling the suspension of the talks unconstitutional. Coalition for Change, the country’s largest opposition party, reported that two of its leaders were attacked by the police during the protest: one suffered a broken hand and the other a broken nose.
Georgia’s candidacy was however frozen by Brussels in response to the new laws approved against “foreign agents” and LGBT+ rights, which according to critics are inspired by Moscow and aimed at targeting the opposition and reducing the nation’s civil rights. The government, which has no diplomatic ties with Russia, said the laws were instead proportionate and necessary to protect national security and society’s traditional values.
