Thousands of pro-European demonstrators took to the streets of Tbilisi in Georgia on Saturday for a third consecutive evening of protests against the government. The latter is accused by the opposition of distracting this country from its ambitions to join the EU.
The two previous demonstrations, Thursday evening and Friday evening, were dispersed using water cannons and tear gas by the police, who also made more than a hundred arrests.
The country’s pro-European president, Salomé Zourabichvili, for her part announced to AFP that she will refuse to give up her mandate which ends this year until new legislative elections have been organized.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, with which she is at odds, won the last election at the end of October, denounced by the opposition as marred by irregularities.
The protests were provoked by the decision of the government, accused of pro-Russian authoritarian drift, to postpone discussions on the integration of this Caucasian country into the EU until 2028.
EU flags
On Saturday evening, the streets of the center of the capital of this Caucasian country, near the Parliament, were filled with demonstrators, many holding EU and Georgian flags, AFP journalists noted.
“My future depends on what Georgia will do now,” said one demonstrator, Anna Kaulashvili, 22, with a Georgian flag around her shoulders. She ensures that she devotes as much time as possible to demonstrations, even if it means sacrificing leisure and even work.
“Hope is why I am here today. We believe in the future,” says Nino Barliani, 29, director of human resources.
Ani Bakhtouridzé, a 32-year-old social worker, says she “voted for freedom and human rights” during the legislative elections. “What is our government doing? It is doing everything that is contrary to freedom,” he protests.
Nearly 150 arrests
In front of Parliament, demonstrators hit the high metal plates blocking the entrance with stones or their fists and threw firecrackers over them, which exploded in the courtyard, AFP noted.
On Thursday and Friday, nighttime demonstrations had already brought together several thousand people in Tbilisi and other cities across the country. They were dispersed by force by the police, who announced that they had arrested nearly 150 people in two days for “disobedience” and “vandalism”, while at least 42 police officers were injured.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday thanked the security forces, who, according to him, “yesterday defended the constitutional order of Georgia and safeguarded the sovereignty and independence of the nation.”
“Traitors”
Some Georgians encountered by AFP in Tbilisi on Saturday also expressed doubts about the movement. “These are not demonstrations, they are violence,” says Aza Aloublichvili, a 77-year-old retiree who is loyal to the government.
Kakha Tchotchoua, a 55-year-old security agent, has only harsh words for the opposition, “traitors” who according to him only represent a minimal part of Georgians.
Officials and judges united
The movement nevertheless began to spread beyond the streets. Hundreds of officials, including from the foreign affairs, defense and education ministries, as well as judges issued joint statements in protest.
Some 160 Georgian diplomats criticized the government’s decision to postpone the European integration process, saying it was contrary to the Constitution and led to “international isolation” of the country.
More than a hundred schools and universities suspended their activities in protest.
“My mandate will continue”
President Salomé Zourabichvili, who only has limited powers but supports the protest movement, has assured that she will not leave office as planned on December 14.
“As long as there are no new elections and a Parliament that will elect a new president according to new rules, my mandate will continue,” this former French diplomat told AFP.
Despite its decision, the government says it wants to continue reforms and still intends to join the EU in 2030. The Prime Minister denounced “blackmail” from Brussels, while the European Parliament called for new legislative elections.
Georgia officially obtained candidate status for EU membership in December 2023, but Brussels has since frozen the process, accusing the executive of serious democratic backsliding.
The USA condemns the use of force
The United States condemned on Saturday “the excessive use of force by the police” during the demonstrations and announced that it was suspending a partnership program with Georgia. The day before, France had called for “respect for the right to demonstrate peacefully”.
The Council of Europe condemned the “brutal repression of demonstrations” and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) denounced the “disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force” by the police.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
