Pics: Georgia Rocked By Protests Over Russia-EU Divide Within Country

Protesters and police clashed in Georgia's capital Tbilisi for a fifth straight night on Monday, with signs of opposition spreading across the country over the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Tension in the Black Sea nation has been simmering for months between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opponents, who accuse it of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.

The crisis deepened on Thursday after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would freeze accession talks with the EU for four years, until 2028. This speaker a wave of protests in the country of 3.7 million people, with tens and thousands of demonstrators stepping on roads in Tbilisi and tossing fireworks at police, who responded with volleys of water cannons and tear gas.

AFP

Now, there are signs that opposition was spreading across the country in at least eight cities and towns, according to reports. Demonstrators had blocked an access road into the country's main commercial port in the Black Sea city of Poti, according to Georgian news agency Interpress.

Opposition TV channel Formula showed footage of people in Khashuri, a town of 20,000 in central Georgia, throwing eggs at the local Georgian Dream office.

Reuters

President Seeks Europe's Support 

Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili, locked in a standoff with her own government, appealed to European countries on Monday to confront what she described as a Russian attempt to impose control on her nation. "We want our European destiny to be returned to us," Ms Zourabichvili, who has personally remonstrated with riot police, told France Inter radio.

"This is the revolt of an entire country," she said.

Reuters

Ms Zourabichvili, whose powers are mainly ceremonial, said Russia, already at war in Ukraine, was conducting a "hybrid strategy" against Georgia and other countries such as Moldova and NATO and EU member Romania.

"There is a very strong need for very clear moral and political support" from Europe, said the 72-year-old president, who was born in France to Georgian parents and once served as French ambassador to Georgia.

AFP

What Led Georgia Here?

According to a poll conducted by the US non-profit National Democratic Institute in December last year, nearly 80 per cent of Georgians support European integration. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and still occupies nearly 20 per cent of its internationally recognised territory. Due to this, most Georgians harbour a feeling of hostility towards Moscow. 

Moreover, since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, thousands of Russians - especially men of service age - have fled to Georgia to avoid conscription, according to a report by CNN. This tore the Black Sea nation's social fabric with Georgians fearing a Russification of their culture. 

Georgia has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the October 26 parliamentary election that both the opposition and Ms Zourabichvili called rigged.

AFP

The party, which ruled Georgia since 2012, is reportedly founded by a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia. The party is often accused by critics of trying to move the country closer to Russia and away from the EU. Ahead of October's elections, it pushed through legislation targeting independent civil society and curbing LGBTQ rights.

The EU and the United States see this as Georgia's shift away from a pro-Western path and back towards Russia's orbit. Georgian Dream says it is acting to defend the country's sovereignty against outside interference and prevent it from being dragged, like Ukraine, into a war with Russia.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the opposition of "coordinated violence" aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order.

AFP

Protest In Georgia

On Sunday night, thousands of protesters gathered again in the capital Tbilisi and some tossed fireworks at police, who responded with volleys of water cannon and tear gas. Some protesters stayed out all night, but police eventually ended the standoff by moving them away from the parliament building.

Georgia's interior ministry said 21 police officers had been injured in the overnight protest, with 113 hurt since the beginning of the current unrest. Scores of protesters have also been injured in recent days, and the United States has condemned what it called the excessive use of police force.

AFP

Georgia's public ombudsman said 124 out of 156 people arrested at rallies had complained of the police using violence against them, calling this a "very disturbing number".

However, more rallies were planned on Monday and strikes and other protests have also started. Hundreds of diplomats and civil servants have signed open letters protesting the decision to suspend talks with the EU and stop receiving any funds from the bloc for four years. At least four Georgian ambassadors have resigned.

AFP

Russia's Stand

Russia on Monday defended the crackdown on protesters, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying authorities are taking "measures to stabilise" the situation, accusing protesters of trying to "stir up" unrest.

Russia sees "the most direct parallel" with Ukraine's "Maidan" protest that ousted a Kremlin-backed leader in 2014 after he suspended talks on closer EU ties, Peskov said.