Georgia plunges towards full-on civil revolt as countless pro-EU protesters rally in Tbilisi and clash with police while re-elected prime minister DEMANDS West-aligned president steps down this month
Georgia has been plunged into a full-on civil revolt as countless protesters overran Tbilisi and clashed with police in the third night of violence following the governments decision to shelve its EU accession bid.
Georgia has been plunged into a full-on civil revolt as countless protesters overran Tbilisi and clashed with police in the third night of violence following the governments decision to shelve its EU accession bid.
The countrys parliament building was set alight by furious rioters 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 countrys 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.
The countrys 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.
Georgias prime minister Irakli 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.
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
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
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 Ukraines 2014 Maidan revolution which ousted the countrys 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 Departments statement on Saturday that it was suspending its strategic partnership with Georgia. The statement condemned Georgias 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 governments 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.
Police officers escort a demonstrator during a rally of opposition parties supporters, who protest against the new governments 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 governments decision to delay European Union membership talks
Demonstrators build a barricade during a rally outside the parliaments building to protest the governments 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 governments decision to suspend the European Union accession talks and refuse budgetary grants until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia November 30, 2024
The countrys parliament building was set alight by rioters
We remain committed to Georgias 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 countrys president, opposition, and the European Parliament.
Zourabichvili said her country is becoming a quasi-Russian state and that Georgian Dream controls the major institutions.
Demonstrators shoot fireworks at the police during a protest outside the parliament on November 30, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia
Demonstrators rally outside the parliaments 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 Georgias 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 governments decision to delay European Union (EU) accession negotiations until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia on November 28, 2024
Demonstrators rally outside the parliaments 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 Georgias 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 Georgias 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 blocs 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 governments 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 states 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 countrys 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.
