Pro-EU protests continued on Sunday in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, where activists clashed with riot police outside the former Soviet country’s parliament building.
The demonstrations are backed by a coalition of opposition parties, as well as Georgia’s pro-EU president, Salome Zourabichvili, who called the current government “illegitimate.” She previously claimed that the parliamentary election in October was rigged in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The protesters are outraged by the government’s decision to freeze negotiations on joining the EU until 2028.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakzhidze said Georgia should ultimately become a member state, but do so on fair terms. He accused the EU of using the accession talks to “blackmail” Georgia and meddle in its politics.
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02 December 2024
Rustaveli Avenue, where protests have been taking place for four nights, has been cleared of demonstrators, according to Georgia’s Rustavi-2 TV channel.
Riot police had urged the remaining protesters to vacate the area before a task force arrived at Republic Square.
Most participants relocated to the vicinity of the Rustaveli metro station, with police following them. Several people were detained, although the total number of arrests remains unclear.
Riot police that dispersed participants of an opposition rally in central Tbilisi have reportedly surrounded the remaining protesters in the city center.
Police formed a perimeter from multiple directions near the Rustaveli metro station, holding shields.
Police have pushed opposition rally participants out of Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue, where they had been staying since Sunday, according to local media reports.
On Monday morning, the rally participants were pushed away from the parliament building further down Rustaveli Avenue, which they partially occupied, with riot police using tear gas to disperse them.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will impose sanctions on the authorities of Georgia amid the suspension of its EU integration and ongoing protests in the country, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has condemned foreign governments for pressuring its diplomats abroad and calling for sabotage.
“Attempts by foreign states to interfere in the functioning of the institutions of a sovereign state are unacceptable,” the ministry stated.
It reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to EU integration, highlighting its consistent fulfillment of obligations under the EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement.
“The government of Georgia remains steadfast in its irreversible process of European integration based on the Association Agreement, ensuring better preparedness for swift EU accession negotiations,” the statement said.
It clarified that claims of suspended negotiations with the EU are false.
The announcement comes amid ongoing protests in Tbilisi that have led to the resignation of Georgian ambassadors to Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, as well as the acting ambassador to Italy.
Over 100 police officers have been injured during recent protests in Tbilisi, according to the Interior Ministry.
A video circulating on social media shows a child wearing a helmet and throwing a bottle at police amidst the unrest.
Protesters in Tbilisi have been employing pyrotechnics against law enforcement, launching smoke bombs and stones at them during the riots.
01 December 2024
Many people remain on the streets, continuing to launch projectiles at the officers, who are responding with firing volleys of tear gas.
According to news website Civil Georgia, the protesters are refusing to leave and are returning to Rustaveli Avenue after being dispersed.
Police began pushing the protesters from Rustaveli Avenue. A total of 14 officers were injured during the clashes outside the parliament, according to the Interior Ministry.
Georgia’s French-born pro-EU president, Salome Zourabichvili, released a new message in support of the demonstration. She accused the government of “provocations directed against this protest.”
Zourabichvili repeated her claim that the October parliamentary election was rigged in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and accused the police of disproportionate use of force.
The protesters have engaged in “systematic violence,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said. “Which means that these gatherings are not peaceful.”
According to Kobakhidze, “violent gangs” have repeatedly tried to break into the parliament building.
Some protesters brought raincoats to better withstand water cannons.
The atmosphere remains tense on Rustaveli Avenue and surrounding streets. Like the night before, protesters have brought many fireworks and are aiming them at the officers guarding the perimeter around the parliament building.
Protesters continue to launch fireworks and shine lasers at special forces, who are responding with water cannons.
Protesters have returned to the Parliament building in Georgia, where special forces are now guarding the premises. Law enforcement is preventing protesters from approaching the front entrance, where damage to surveillance cameras and windows had occurred in recent days.
The EU is considering sanctions against Georgia, accusing the government of using violence against protesters. New foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the bloc views the crackdown on pro-EU demonstrations as unacceptable and urges the Georgian authorities to respect the will of its citizens.
RT is resuming live coverage of the ongoing protests in Georgia, providing real-time updates as the situation unfolds. Stay tuned for the latest developments.
According to news channel Rustavi 2 and website Civil Georgia, police have cleared Rustaveli Avenue of protesters. Traffic has been restored on the street.
A group of protesters has moved to nearby Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, calling on bystanders to join them.
A video shared on social media shows riot police detaining protesters. The altercation reportedly took place as the officers were pushing the crowd away from the parliament building.
As of 6 am local time, a large number of protesters remained on Rustaveli Avenue and refused to leave, local media reported.
News channel Imedi posted a video of protesters “attacking” an ambulance.
The Interior Ministry said that people were blocking a fire truck from reaching an unspecified “incident scene.”
Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused the outgoing Biden administration of fueling the protests.
“They want to make it done before Trump’s inauguration. The protests lack impetus and they want to assist,” he wrote on Facebook, as quoted by public broadcaster 1TV.
Mdinaradze wrote his post in response to the US State Department’s accusation of “excessive force” against the demonstrators.
President Zourabichvili has once again denounced the government. “Another violent night in Tbilisi. The illegitimate government resorts to illegal means to silence Georgians standing firm for their constitutional, European choice,” she wrote on X in early hours on Sunday.
Zourabichvili, a former French diplomat, said earlier that she will not step down until the country has “a legitimately elected parliament.” Her presidential term expires this month.
According to news website Civil Georgia, the police have pushed the protesters from the parliament building. The officers fired volleys of tear gas and reportedly made arrests.
The officers dismantled the large barricade previously erected by protesters.
30 November 2024
Protesters began throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. They previously attempted to break the windows of the parliament building and have set small fires.
Georgia’s ambassador to Lithuania, Salome Shapakidze, became the latest diplomat to announce her resignation following the government’s decision to suspend the EU accession talks.
“It was an honor and privilege to serve my country’s national interests for more than a decade,” she wrote on X. “Georgia is Europe!”
Georgia’s envoy to the Netherlands and Bulgaria, as well as its acting ambassador to Italy, tendered their resignations earlier this week.
The atmosphere outside the parliament remains tense as police attempt to control the angry crowd.
The US State Department described Georgian Dream’s decision to suspend EU accession talks as “a betrayal of the Georgian Constitution.”
“We condemn excessive force used against Georgians exercising their freedom to protest and have suspended our Strategic Partnership with Georgia,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X.
Protesters ripped up public benches and used them to erect a larger barricade on the street next to the front of the parliament. The barricade is facing police reinforcements with more water cannons, RT correspondent Charlotte Dubenskij reports.
The rioters set up a small makeshift barricade and pelted the officers with stones in the narrow alleyway adjacent to the parliament building.
A group of rioters showed up armed with sticks and wearing helmets. They were launching fireworks at the officers guarding the back side of the parliament.
Although the crowd was initially peaceful, some protesters began throwing objects and launching fireworks at the officers, who responding with a water cannon.
Like the day before, a large crowd descended on Rustaveli Avenue, where the parliament building is located. They were met with police in full riot gear, who are blocking the entrances to the parliament.
The protesters are calling for the resignation of the government and a new election. Many are carrying Georgian and EU flags.