Riot police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, clashed with thousands of demonstrators on Thursday night after the government announced a controversial decision to delay its pursuit of European Union membership until 2028. The unrest, which saw the use of pepper spray, batons, and water cannons, resulted in 43 arrests and numerous injuries, including 32 police officers.
Protesters took to the streets following Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would pause its EU accession process. Critics, including more than 100 diplomats, have called the move “unconstitutional,” while Kobakhidze accused the EU of “blackmail” over its criticism of Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which has governed since 2012, claimed victory in last month’s elections. However, the opposition has boycotted the new parliament, citing allegations of fraud. President Salome Zurabishvili has called the one-party parliament “unconstitutional.”
Meanwhile, the European Parliament passed a resolution describing Georgia’s election as part of a “worsening democratic crisis,” citing reports of voter intimidation, vote buying, and harassment of observers. The resolution also called for sanctions against high-ranking officials, including Georgian Dream’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Following the resolution, Kobakhidze announced the EU membership freeze, stating Georgia would still aim for accession by 2030 but with “dignity” and respect for its “national interests and traditional values.” He accused EU lawmakers of “hurling a cascade of insults” at his government.
Thousands of demonstrators, waving EU flags, gathered outside Georgian Dream offices in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Protesters decried the decision as a betrayal of Georgia’s national aspiration for European integration, a goal enshrined in the country’s constitution.
“Georgian Dream didn’t win the elections. It staged a coup,” 20-year-old Shota Sabashvili told AFP. “There is no legitimate parliament or government in Georgia. We will not let this self-proclaimed prime minister destroy our European future.”
Ana, a student protester, told the Associated Press, “Georgian Dream is going against Georgian people’s will and wants to drag us back to the USSR. That will never happen because Georgian people will never let this happen.”
The demonstration turned violent around 2 a.m. local time when police began dispersing the crowd using tear gas and water cannons. Protesters barricaded streets in Tbilisi, and the clashes continued until dawn. A member of the opposition group Coalition for Change claimed police attacked demonstrators hiding in a pharmacy, while a journalist from opposition-aligned Formula TV was reportedly beaten by police.
The decision has drawn widespread criticism. Former Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili told the BBC, “Since we were independent 30 years ago, we were clearly pro-Western, pro-NATO, and pro-EU. Now, there’s an effort by those controlling power in Tbilisi and the Kremlin to drag Georgia into Russia’s orbit.”
In a symbolic gesture of dissent, Georgia’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Otar Berdzenishvili, resigned, stating, “Our tireless efforts [for EU integration] must not be shaken or compromised under any circumstances.”
The protests are expected to continue, as many Georgians see the EU as a safeguard against increasing Russian influence.
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