Demonstrations in Georgia after the Prime Minister vowed to “eradicate” the opposition

Thousands of supporters of joining the European Union demonstrated across Georgia on Thursday for the second week in a row after the prime minister threatened to “eradicate” the “liberal fascist” opposition in the country.
Unrest has rocked Tbilisi since the ruling Georgian Dream party, which opponents accuse of tyranny and leading the country back toward Russia, announced its victory in disputed elections in October.

Demonstrations in Georgia

Last Thursday, the government announced that it would suspend European Union membership talks and postpone them until 2028, sparking a new wave of demonstrations that were met with a harsh response from the authorities.

Several thousand demonstrators gathered in front of Parliament on Thursday for the eighth night in a row. An Agence France-Presse correspondent from the scene reported that some of them raised banners reading, “Your repression will destroy you,” in reference to the government’s violent response to the demonstrations.
“The government must be changed because it does not care about us or future generations,” said Manu, 23, who declined to give her full name.

Use of force

Some demonstrators knocked on the metal barriers protecting the entrance to Parliament, waved European Union flags and sounded horns and whistles. But participation was lower than previous days.

Nini Chorgulia, a 19-year-old history student with a Georgian flag wrapped around her body, said she was worried the movement would lose momentum but was nonetheless determined to continue the protest. “We will prevail” in the end, she added.
Local media reported that protests were held in other cities, including Batumi, Kutaisi and Zugdidi. Several protesters were reportedly arrested in Kutaisi. Video footage circulated on social media showed a teenager lying on the ground, semi-conscious, while demonstrators accused the police of using excessive force against them.

Eradicating liberal fascism

Earlier, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters: “We will do everything necessary to completely eradicate liberal fascism in Georgia,” amid the escalation of the government’s crackdown on its opponents.

“This process has already begun. The latest developments represent the beginning of the end of liberal fascism in Georgia,” he added, using language reminiscent of what the Kremlin says in Russia to target political opponents.
On Thursday, masked police officers raided the offices of several opposition parties and arrested some of their leaders.

International condemnations

Kobakhidze refused to back down in the face of international condemnation, and instead escalated the dispute with pro-EU opposition groups demanding a rerun of the elections.

The authorities arrested about 300 people and dozens of demonstrators and police officers were injured in clashes outside parliament in Tbilisi over the past week.
Many protesters, including journalists, required hospital treatment after their arrest, alleging that they were beaten by security forces.

Mass violence

Human Rights Ombudsman Levan Yusiliani accused the police of using “torture” against the detained protesters.

Al-Khamis said that 191 demonstrators arrested during the past week reported being subjected to ill-treatment during detention, especially since 138 of them showed visible injuries.
On Wednesday, Georgian police arrested seven people on charges of “organizing and leading mass violence” and confiscated boxes of fireworks that demonstrators were launching at riot police.
Opposition leader Nika Gvaramiya of the Akhali party was beaten and detained during a police raid. Television footage showed what appeared to be Gvaramiya unconscious, accompanied by masked policemen.
Alexander Ilishvili, another opposition politician, was taken to hospital due to “serious injuries” he allegedly suffered while in detention, according to the “Strong Georgia” opposition coalition to which he belongs.

Threat of sanctions

The United States and other countries condemned the repression of the authorities in Georgia, and threatened to impose additional sanctions on the country’s officials.
Kobakhidze rejected US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statements, saying that Tbilisi hopes to improve relations with Washington after Donald Trump takes office in January.

Government opponents

The government’s opponents are angry at what they call its betrayal by stopping Georgia’s attempt to join the European Union, a process stipulated in the constitution and supported by about 80% of the population.
Several ambassadors and the Deputy Foreign Minister resigned due to the decision to suspend EU accession talks.
In order to stimulate the protest movement, a senior official in the Ministry of the Interior in charge of dealing with the protests resigned on Wednesday and posted his resignation letter on social media, accompanied by emojis of the Georgian and European flags.

Ukraine revolution 2014

The protests have drawn comparisons with Ukraine’s 2014 pro-EU revolution that ousted a Moscow-backed president.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday criticized Kobakhidze and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is seen as the country’s de facto leader, for “handing Georgia over to Putin,” he said in a video speech.
Since 2022, Georgia has passed legislation targeting civil society, independent media and limiting LGBT rights, measures critics say are based on repressive Russian laws.