A protester fires fireworks at police during the fifth consecutive night of protests against the postponement of EU accession talks, on December 2, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia © AFP – Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE
They “will not escape their responsibilities,” he threatened.
His party, the Georgian Dream, this year enacted a law on “foreign influence” that its detractors see as a legal tool to persecute associations that do not follow the government's line.
The Georgian Dream also tries to present the protest movement as the result of external interference.
The government also assures that it will not give up on the EU despite the announcement of postponing all accession negotiations. Irakli Kobakhidze said on Tuesday that disgruntled Georgians had “misunderstood” him and that European integration was “progressing”.
The day before, he had rejected any negotiations with the opposition, which is demanding new legislative elections.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000– Injured protesters –
On Monday evening, thousands of protesters gathered again in Tbilisi, the capital, for the fifth day of this large-scale mobilization. Twenty-six people were injured, mostly protesters, in clashes with police, the health ministry said.
Protesters fire fireworks at police during the fifth consecutive night of protests against the postponement of EU accession talks, on December 2, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia © AFP – Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE
The opposition accuses the government of wanting to get closer to Moscow, and to imitate its repressive and authoritarian methods.
Georgians are therefore marching for the EU as much as against neighboring Russia, with the crowd regularly chanting slogans hostile to the Kremlin.
“We want freedom, and we don't want to end up in Russia,” said 21-year-old protester Nika Maghradze on Monday evening.
Her friend Ani, 22, agreed. “We want Europe!” she said.
Protests also took place elsewhere in the country, such as in Batumi, Georgia's second city, according to local media.
– “Unprecedented movement” –
“All over Georgia, people are rising up against the Russian puppet regime,” President Salome Zourabichvili said Monday evening, calling it “an unprecedented movement.”
Although she has very limited powers, Ms. Zourabichvili is popular with the protesters, whose movement, largely spontaneous and organized online, has neither a dominant political leader nor real structure.
Police use water cannons to disperse protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia, on December 2, 2024 © AFP – Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE
On Monday evening, police used powerful jets of water and tear gas from mid-evening to disperse the crowd, which responded with gunfire fireworks.
Every evening, the police want to chase the protesters away from Parliament Square, the epicenter of the mobilization and tensions.
Several dozen demonstrators, journalists and police officers have already been injured during clashes on the fringes of these gatherings, although the exact number has not been established.
The Georgian Dream assures that it must save the country from the fate of Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops for almost three years. Its leaders accuse the West of wanting to drag Georgia into a war with Moscow, echoing the Kremlin's rhetoric.
However, 20% of Georgian territory is de facto under Russian control, particularly due to the Russian invasion of 2008.
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