Georgia has been engulfed by mass protests following the government’s decision to halt negotiations for European Union membership until 2028. Demonstrations erupted in the capital, Tbilisi, and other cities after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party announced the suspension, citing alleged EU “blackmail.” Protesters, overwhelmingly pro-European, view the decision as a betrayal of Georgia’s constitutional aspiration for EU integration.
For two consecutive nights, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi, erecting barricades and chanting slogans against the government. Police responded with tear gas, water cannons, and pepper spray, resulting in dozens of injuries. The Interior Ministry reported 43 arrests and claimed that 32 police officers were injured during the confrontations. Witness accounts and social media footage also detailed injuries among protesters, including a journalist who was beaten by police.
This is going to be iconic. #Tbilisi #Georgia pic.twitter.com/6zv7Md5mE2
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) March 7, 2023
The footage from the Tbilisi protests is shocking. This is the “democracy” they’re offering? No, thank you. If this is how they treat their own people, it’s terrifying to think how they’d treat Abkhazians during a protest. pic.twitter.com/CNMr42c6Os
— oma.kharchlaa (@omakharchilava) November 29, 2024
Protests spread to the Black Sea port city of Batumi, further intensifying the nationwide unrest. Demonstrators expressed anger at what they see as Georgia’s retreat from its pro-Western trajectory, with many accusing the ruling party of aligning with Russia.
The protests were fueled by the government’s controversial decision to delay EU accession talks. President Salome Zurabishvili, a largely ceremonial leader and frequent critic of Georgian Dream, expressed solidarity with the demonstrators, calling it a “resistance movement.” Zurabishvili stated, “We will remain united until Georgia achieves its goals: to return to its European path and secure new elections.”
The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution condemning Georgia’s October parliamentary elections as neither free nor fair. Observers highlighted voter intimidation, bribery, and violence, with many seeing the elections as evidence of Georgia’s continued democratic backsliding. EU lawmakers have called for sanctions against Georgian officials and urged a rerun of the vote under international supervision.
