Riots during demonstration against government

Violent protests

Georgia: riots during demonstration against government

For the sixth day in a row, protests have erupted in the South Caucasus republic of Georgia against a government decision to suspend EU accession talks. They don’t stay peaceful.

There have been renewed clashes between violent pro-Western demonstrators and the police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry said government opponents threw objects and fireworks at law enforcement officers. Videos circulating on social networks showed demonstrators wearing gas masks and helmets firing fireworks at a police line. In response, security forces used water cannons and tear gas.

President Salome Zurabishvili, however, described the demonstrators as peaceful. “Tear gas and water cannons were used disproportionately, there were massive arrests and mistreatment,” she wrote on Platform X. She did not provide any information about the number of those arrested. According to media reports, several journalists were injured by protest participants.

The protests in the South Caucasus republic were originally triggered by the controversial parliamentary elections at the end of October. According to the official results, the ruling Georgian Dream party has won a majority. The Western-oriented opposition describes this as fake. The protests gained momentum after a recent government announcement that it would suspend accession talks to the European Union. Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2023.