Thousands of pro-European Georgians took to the streets of Tbilisi on Friday to mark the first anniversary of Georgia’s pro-Russian government’s decision to suspend accession talks with the EU until 2028.
- Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in Tbilisi for a pro-European orientation.
- Prostest reacts to the suspension of Georgia’s accession negotiations with the EU.
- Daily demonstrations continue despite lower participation and reprisals.
- The protests are supported by opposition parties, activists, non-governmental organizations and the president.
- Brussels has frozen negotiations until Georgia changes its political course.
This decision of November 28, 2024 provoked protests in Georgia by supporters of European integration. Initially, they were held daily in front of the parliament in Tbilisi and were mass, but gradually the participation in them decreased – from the original tens of thousands to several hundred. The reason was also high fines for demonstrators and the arrest of activists or opposition leaders. Despite the lower turnout, anti-government protests still take place in Tbilisi every day.
On Friday evening, crowds of several thousand marched down Tbilisi’s main avenue, waving Georgian and European flags. Subsequently, people gathered in front of the parliament, the Echo Kaukazu news website reported.
Opposition parties also protested
The protest was attended by pro-European opposition parties, including those that crossed the threshold for entering parliament in the 2024 elections. Representatives of non-governmental organizations were also present, as well as Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.
In their speeches, opposition politicians emphasized the need to continue the fight against the regime, which, according to them, is weakened. “This regime must fall,” declared the leader of the Federalist party, Tamar Chergoleishvili.
According to Nugzar Ciklauri, a member of the Coalition for Change, “a classic autocracy is being established in the country – that’s why people don’t stop; they’re taking to the streets…they feel that if their resistance is broken now, we’ll lose the way to develop the country for many years.” Major NGOs issued a joint statement on Friday saying that “this year, Georgian Dream has imposed unprecedented repression on its own people.”
Thousands of citizens suffered
The document states that criminal prosecutions have been initiated against approximately 160 citizens; about 300 protesters were subjected to physical violence; more than 600 people were detained in administrative proceedings; more than 1000 citizens were fined for political reasons; 400 cases of detention, beating and harassment of journalists were also recorded. In addition, in Georgia, “anti-democratic laws have been passed that essentially force civil society organizations to cease their activities.”
“Georgia belongs to Europe and we will not allow the pro-Russian government, which is in power thanks to electoral fraud, to take away our European future,” the 61-year-old philologist told AFP. “Georgia is small, but it represents something big – freedom,” added the 47-year-old math teacher. “This Russian type of authoritarianism will not win here,” he added.
The government’s Georgian Dream rejects the accusations of the opposition and part of the citizens that it is retreating from democratic standards and strengthening Georgia’s orientation towards Russia. Brussels has de facto frozen the process of accession negotiations until the Georgian government changes its course. According to public opinion polls, the request to join the EU, which is enshrined in the Georgian constitution, has the support of up to 80 percent of the population.
