Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tbilisi on Thursday night to protest the Georgian government’s U-turn on its EU accession bid.
Protestors began gathering at the Georgian parliament after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision to pause EU accession efforts, stating that “Georgia should become an EU member with dignity, rather than by begging.”
He added that the EU bid would not resume until the end of 2028, coinciding with the conclusion of the ruling Georgian Dream government’s fourth term.
Georgia’s pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili urged citizens to resist the government’s decision.
“This country is returning to Russia, which we barely got rid of,” Zourabichvili said in a televised briefing.
She later joined the protesters outside the parliament, declaring that “a resistance has begun, and it will not end until new elections are called.”
Theygotme.i fell, camera lense damaged. pic.twitter.com/T9wNOv9toA
— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) November 28, 2024
Addressing riot police, she asked rhetorically: “Do you serve Russia or Georgia? To whom are you sworn?” while knocking on their shields.
The prime minister’s rejection of the EU bid followed a critical resolution from the European Parliament on Thursday, stating that Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections were not “free and fair” and calling for a re-run under international supervision.
Earlier in October, Brussels announced that Georgia’s accession path had been halted because the country “has gone backwards.”
Georgians cast their ballots Oct. 26 in what was widely regarded as a referendum between the West and Moscow. However, opposition parties claimed the election was rigged and launched street protests, rejecting their parliamentary mandates and demanding a re-run. The Georgian president also appealed the election results to the Constitutional Court.
Georgian Dream dismissed the appeal, however — thereby violating the Georgian constitution — and approved both the parliament and the government cabinet.
Approximately 79 percent of Georgians support EU membership, polls report.
Georgia was granted EU candidate status last December on condition that it implement a series of reforms. But its Moscow-friendly government has increasingly adopted authoritarian policies, including a controversial Russian-style law and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, widely seen as deliberate actions by the ruling party to undermine Georgia’s EU accession.
