Georgian Authorities Accuse Anti-Government Protesters of Fomenting Violence

Demonstrators participate in a rally to protest against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Dec. 4, 2024. Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Photo

Georgian officials have accused anti-government demonstrators of fomenting violence after nine days of street protests in Tbilisi, the South Caucasus nation’s capital.

According to local media reports, the interior ministry said on Dec. 6 that police had arrested five people—in Tbilisi and elsewhere—suspected of planning “violent actions.”

The ministry further claimed that police had found illegal firearms while conducting a search of the suspects’ homes.

It said 13 others had been detained on charges of “publicly inciting violent acts.”

The allegations, which The Epoch Times could not independently verify, follow more than a week of demonstrations, which erupted after the government suspended Georgia’s European Union accession process.

Demonstrators accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of seeking to align the country with Russia at the expense of its longstanding ambition to join the EU.

They also accuse the ruling party of adopting increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russian policies.

Tbilisi has not had diplomatic relations with Moscow since 2008, when Russia won a brief war with Georgia—initiated by the latter—over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Opponents of the ruling party also dispute the results of an October election in which Georgian Dream won 54 percent of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission.

In recent days, the protests have become increasingly violent, with police often employing tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds of demonstrators.

Since the protests began, hundreds of demonstrators have been detained, while more than 100 people—including police—have reportedly sustained injuries.

In remarks to The Associated Press on Dec. 5, Tamar Oniani, a Georgian human rights lawyer, said police were engaging in “systemic, widespread violence.”

Georgian officials say the mounting violence is being instigated by the demonstrators.

In remarks to the media, Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of Georgian Dream, said the violence was “initiated by demonstrators” and was “systemic in nature.”

Recent days have also seen several Georgian opposition figures detained by police for taking part in—or allegedly organizing—the street protests.

On Dec. 4, Nika Gvaramia, leader of Georgia’s Coalition for Change party, was detained after police raided the party’s Tbilisi headquarters.

A demonstrator holds a Georgian flag while being sprayed by a water cannon outside Parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Dec. 3, 2024. Pavel Bednyakov/AP Photo

‘Undemocratic Practices’

Tbilisi has been intermittently rocked by protests since the summer, when Parliament adopted a law requiring organizations to register with the government if more than 20 percent of their funding came from foreign sources.

Proponents say the law is needed to safeguard Georgia from malign foreign influences operating under the guise of “civil society” and non-government organizations.

Critics, however, say the law stifles free speech, comparing it to Russian legislation ostensibly used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.

Georgia’s adoption of the law in May drew negative reactions from Washington and Brussels, which accused Tbilisi of engaging in “undemocratic practices.”

After the law was passed, Washington imposed a raft of restrictions on Georgian officials, while Brussels threatened to revoke the country’s EU candidate status.

They both also froze millions of dollars and euros in scheduled assistance to Georgia.

Shortly before the October election, Pawel Herczynski, the EU’s envoy to Tbilisi, warned that Georgia could become the target of EU sanctions if “things really go wrong with the elections.”

Ruling party officials responded by accusing the West of resorting to “threats and blackmail” and interfering in Georgia’s domestic affairs.

On Dec. 5, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said he would ask the EU to suspend its visa-free arrangement with Georgia to “make it clear to the Georgian government the path they are taking comes with a price.”

Writing on social media platform X on Dec. 4, Anitta Hipper, the EU’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, called on the Georgian authorities to “stop using excessive force [against demonstrators] and ensure freedom of assembly.”

Police try to disperse protesters during a demonstration near the Parliament building in downtown Tbilisi on Nov. 30, 2024. Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP via Getty Images

‘Color Revolution’ Claims

The EU’s vocal opposition to the Georgian Dream—and its stated support for the protesters—has led to claims that the ongoing demonstrations enjoy covert Western support.

In remarks to the local media on Dec. 4, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized what he called “foreign-funded destabilization efforts.”

He also likened the ongoing protests in Georgia to Kyiv’s 2014 “Maidan Revolution,” which swept Ukraine’s pro-Russia president from power.

Many officials in Georgia—and Moscow—view the 2014 uprising in Kyiv as a U.S.-backed “coup” against a democratically elected leader.

Washington has consistently rejected the claim, saying the uprising reflected the will of the Ukrainian people and their democratic aspirations.

When asked about the situation in Georgia, a Kremlin spokesman appeared to agree with Kobakhidze, saying the ongoing protests in Tbilisi bore the hallmarks of an attempted “color revolution.”

“We have seen similar developments in a number of countries,” he told reporters on Dec. 2.

“A direct parallel can be drawn to the Maidan events in Ukraine.”

Reuters contributed to this report.