Police in Georgia fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday night on a fourth straight day of pro-EU protests that drew tens of thousands of people
At least 44 people are in hospital as protests rage in the Georgian capital Tbilisi against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union until 2028.
The Georgian prime minister rebuffed calls for new elections and blamed ‘foreign instructors’ for the clashes.
Waving European and Georgian flags, tens of thousands rallied outside parliament on Sunday evening, according to reports.
Some demonstrators tossed fireworks and stones at riot police, while others banged on the metal door blocking parliament’s entrance.
Police later fired water cannons, but were unable to disperse the crowds. Late at night, riot police in full gear moved in, using tear gas and water cannon to disperse the rally.
Shouting ‘f*** Russia’, protesters built barricades from dustbins and set them ablaze. Nearby, priests offered shelter to some protesters inside a church.
The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October 26 parliamentary polls – elections that the pro-European opposition said were fraudulent.
While Georgian Dream rejects links to the Kremlin, critics accuse it of adopting a number of Russian-style laws targeting civil society groups who receive funding from abroad, as well as LGBT rights.
Fireworks explode in front of the Parliament building as protestors voice their discontent with the sitting government party Georgian Dream
A law enforcement officer fires a tear gas canister as fireworks explode behind him
Georgian opposition supporters protest, with the numbers believed to be in the tens of thousands
However, Georgia’s prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused ‘foreign instructors’ of instigating the violence that has consumed Tbilisi for the last four nights.
The controversial leader also claimed without evidence there was a ‘British citizen who illegally broke into the parliament building’ and was arrested.
The interior ministry has said about 150 demonstrators have been arrested in this latest wave of protests, while the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association put the number at 200.
Police in some instances have chased protesters through the streets, beating them and firing rubber bullets and tear gas.
The leader of the opposition United National Movement party, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists that he was attacked by around 15 masked police officers attempting to detain him, but said he had managed to escape with the help of protesters.
The opposition is boycotting the new parliament, while pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to annul the election result, declaring the new legislature and government ‘illegitimate’.
‘Georgian Dream… is a Russian government, and they must go,’ demonstrator Alexandre Diasamidze, a 32-year-old bartender said.
Another protest took place outside the offices of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB), widely accused of acting as a propaganda tool for the ruling party.
Georgian opposition supporters launch fireworks towards the Parliament building during protest in Tbilisi
Police block a street during the protest of Georgian opposition supporters in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi
Georgian opposition supporters hold Georgian flags during a protest in front of the Parliament building
The broadcaster conceded to the protesters’ demand to grant Zurabishvili airtime, which it had previously denied her, while simultaneous protests took place in cities across Georgia.
Fueling popular anger, Kobakhidze ruled out new parliamentary elections, saying that ‘the formation of the new government based on the October 26 parliamentary elections has been completed’.
Earlier this week, the party nominated far-right former football international Mikheil Kavelashvili for the largely ceremonial post of president.
But Zurabishvili told AFP in an exclusive interview on Saturday that she would not step down until last month’s contested parliamentary elections are re-run.
On Saturday she said that she was ‘the only legitimate institution in the country’, and that ‘as long as there are no new elections… my mandate continues’.
Constitutional law experts have questioned the legitimacy of the new parliament, citing the fact it approved its own credentials in violation of a requirement to await a court ruling on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election results.
Hundreds of public servants, including from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and education, as well as a number of judges, issued joint statements protesting Kobakhidze’s decision to postpone EU accession talks.
More than 200 Georgian diplomats criticised the move as contradicting the constitution and leading the country ‘into international isolation’ and a number of Georgia’s ambassadors resigned.
A police officer kicks a gas canister during a rally in Tibilisi in the early hours of Monday night
The crackdown on protests has provoked international condemnation.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania jointly agreed to impose sanctions ‘against those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia’, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on social media.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Saturday condemned ‘excessive force’ used on protestors.
The country’s parliament building was set alight by furious protestors who threw fireworks and stones, while an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the shadowy founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, was stuffed on a stake and set alight to whoops and cheers from the crowd.
Fireworks were also thrown as riot police, with one video showing a lone protester taking aim at cops with a firework ‘machine gun’.
Police were accused of brutalising protesters. Witnesses reported seeing protesters in Tbilisi being chased and beaten by police as demonstrators rallied in front of the country’s parliament.
One video showed a woman lying weakly on the ground and a police officer kicked her head, before she collapsed as a second cop ran up and kicked her.
Observers could be heard screaming as they witnessed the violent scene. Officials said that 44 people were hospitalised by police-deployed water cannons and tear gas.
At a press conference today, Georgia’s prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed without evidence there was a ‘British citizen who illegally broke into the parliament building.’
Protesters clash with police during a demonstration against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, outside the Georgia Parliament in Tbilisi, early on December 1, 2024
Protesters light a fire at the base of a makeshift barricade erected in a street in Tbilisi during demonstrations against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, early on December 1, 2024
Protesters holding Georgian and European flags clash with police during a demonstration against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, in Tbilisi, early on December 1, 2024
‘We may be dealing with foreign instructors who organize violent groups’, he added.
MailOnline has contacted the UK’s Foreign Office for comment.
The country’s interior ministry has since confirmed that around 107 people were taken into custody following the violent clashes on Friday. The number of people arrested last night is still not known.
Kobakhidze, who was re-elected in the October election, said president Salome Zourabichvili would have to leave office at the end of her term this month despite her statement that she will refuse to do so.
Zourabichvili said on Saturday she would stay in office because the new parliament was illegitimate and had no authority to name her successor.
Kobakhidze warned that ‘any violation of the law will be met with the full rigor of the law’.
‘Neither will those politicians who hide in their offices and sacrifice members of their violent groups to severe punishment escape responsibility,’ he said at a briefing on Sunday.
He also accused unspecified ‘foreign entities’ of working on the ‘Ukrainisation’ of Georgia with a ‘Maidan-style scenario’ – a reference to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan revolution which ousted the country’s Moscow-friendly president and unleashed a decade of momentous change for Ukraine, eventually leading to its current war with Russia.
Mr Kobakhidze also dismissed the US State Department’s statement on Saturday that it was suspending its strategic partnership with Georgia. The statement condemned Georgia’s decision to halt its efforts towards EU accession.
‘You can see that the outgoing administration is trying to leave the new administration with as difficult a legacy as possible. They are doing this regarding Ukraine, and now also concerning Georgia,’ Mr Kobakhidze said of the US.
‘This will not have any fundamental significance. We will wait for the new administration and discuss everything with them.’
Since the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party claimed victory in October elections which the opposition said were fraudulent, the government has stoked outrage by delaying EU membership talks, a move that has caught the ire of more than 100 serving Georgian diplomats, who signed a letter decrying the government’s decision.
‘We believe that removing the opening of EU accession negotiations from the political agenda until 2028 contradicts the requirements of Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia,’ the diplomats said in a joint statement.
Georgia’s prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze (pictured) claimed without evidence there was a ‘British citizen who illegally broke into the parliament building’
Police use tear gas to disperse Georgian opposition supporters protesting in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, 30 November 2024
Georgian opposition supporters launch fireworks towards the police during a protest in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, 30 November 2024
Police officers escort a demonstrator during a rally of opposition parties’ supporters, who protest against the new government’s decision to suspend the European Union accession talks and refuse budgetary grants until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia November 30, 2024
Protesters light a fire at the base of a makeshift barricade erected in a street in Tbilisi during demonstrations against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks
Demonstrators build a barricade during a rally outside the parliament’s building to protest the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024
Demonstrators burn an effigy of former Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili during a protest outside the parliament on November 30, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia
A demonstrator holds a placard reading ‘We are here’ during a protest against the new government’s decision to suspend the European Union accession talks and refuse budgetary grants until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia November 30, 2024
The country’s parliament building was set alight by protestors angry at the government led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze
‘We remain committed to Georgia’s course of European and Euro-Atlantic integration’, they added.
But the election was marred by accusations from observers that voters, particularly public sector workers, were pressured into voting for GD, with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) accusing the party of ballot stuffing and vote buying.
The party was originally forecast to get just 35 per cent of the vote in last months election, but managed to later walk away with 54 per cent of the vote.
The European Parliament this week voted to 444-72 to declare the parliamentary election results in the South Caucasus country invalid, claiming they ‘do not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people.’
It also called for the election to be re-run within a year under international supervision.
But Kobakhidze also ruled out holding fresh parliamentary elections amid a post-election crisis that has seen his legitimacy questioned both at home and internationally.
‘Of course not,’ he told journalists when asked whether the ruling Georgian Dream party, which claimed victory in the contested October elections, would agree to hold a new vote as demanded by the country’s president, opposition, and the European Parliament.
Zourabichvili said her country is becoming a ‘quasi-Russian’ state and that Georgian Dream controls the major institutions.
Georgian opposition supporters burn effigy of Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze, during a protest in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, 30 November 2024
Demonstrators shoot fireworks at the police during a protest outside the parliament on November 30, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia
Demonstrators rally outside the parliament’s building, center left, to protest the governments’ decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024
A supporter of Georgia’s opposition holds a European Union flag while attending a rally to protest after the government halted the EU application process until 2028
Thousands of Georgian protesters gather outside the parliament building to oppose the government’s decision to delay European Union (EU) accession negotiations until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia on November 28, 2024
Demonstrators rally outside the parliament’s building, center left, to protest the governments’ decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024
Police were seen brutalising protesters in Tbilisi
‘We are not demanding a revolution. We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again,’ she said.
‘Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen.’
According to opinion polls, becoming a part of the European Union was a popular choice among many in the country, with joining the diplomatic mission being a part of Georgia’s constitution.
But Kobakhidze said he would be utilising a ‘diplomatic response’ if the EU tried to interfere in Georgia any further.
Kobakhidze said that his government is committed to facilitating Georgia’s integration into the EU by the desired 2030 timeline.
He said: ‘Our approach to this goal is through peace, dignity and prosperity, not blackmail. We will not tolerate manipulation or attempts to divide our society through artificial means.’
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that it meets the bloc’s recommendations.
But it put its accession on hold and cut financial support earlier this year after the passage of a ‘foreign influence’ law widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.
People gather in protest outside the parliament on November 29, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia
A demonstrator takes part in a protest against the new government’s decision to suspend the European Union accession talks and refuse budgetary grants until 2028, outside parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia November 30, 2024
Many fear the government plans on moving away from the EU and building a closer relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia, and that the state’s use of violence is a reflection of this deepening relationship with autocrat Vladimir Putin.
Police were cowering behind their shields as fireworks are blasted nearby in the country’s capital of Tbilisi amid the post-election crisis.
Officers were last night seen retaliating with force against protesters using water cannons.
Heavy force was also used against members of the media as well as loudspeakers being utilised to shout profanities and insults at the crowds on Friday.
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