30 Nov 2024 | 09:54 PM UTC
Georgia: Protest activity likely across country through at least early December after officials announce suspension of EU accession talks Nov. 28 /update 8
Anti-government protests continue in Tbilisi, other cities late Nov. 30; protests likely to continue across Georgia through early December.
Protest activity will likely continue in major cities across Georgia through at least early December after government officials announced on Nov. 28 that the country would halt EU accession negotiations until 2028. Activists reportedly gathered across the country for a third consecutive night on Nov. 30 to protest the decision, with thousands of protesters assembling in Tbilisi. Some demonstrators in the capital set up barricades, broke windows, and launched fireworks in the vicinity of the Parliament, igniting a small fire within the legislative building. Additionally, some protesters clashed with and threw firecrackers at security forces, who responded to the protest activity by launching tear gas and firing water cannon at the demonstrators. Police also halted traffic on Shota Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, which runs in front of the Parliament building.
In Tbilisi, likely locations for future protests, aside from the Parliament building, include the Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Republic Square, Freedom Square, and Heroes' Square. In Batumi, further protest activity will most likely materialize at Shota Rustaveli State University and Europe Square.
Authorities will likely deploy a heightened security presence to the sites of any protests that materialize. Police will almost certainly attempt to forcibly arrest protesters perceived to be particularly unruly; more than 100 demonstrators were arrested amid clashes late Nov. 29. Transport and business disruptions will probably affect areas subject to protest activity. Additional acts of vandalism and clashes between demonstrators, law enforcement officers, and ideologically opposed individuals cannot be ruled out.
Avoid all demonstrations as a standard precaution. Exercise caution around government and court buildings as well as political party offices. Allow extra time for travel during periods of protest activity, and consider taking alternative routes to circumvent affected areas and any disruptions. If violence breaks out in your area, immediately depart the vicinity and seek shelter in a secure, nongovernmental building. Adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.
Following the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections, the country's electoral commission announced early Oct. 27 that the ruling Georgian Dream party had won 54 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts counted. The electoral commission ordered a partial recount of the vote before once again certifying the result.
On Nov. 30, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili asserted that she would not leave office when her term ends in December, claiming that the country's parliament is "illegitimate" and the Oct. 26 elections were "stolen." Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, former chairman of the Georgian Dream party, has accused the political opposition of planning a revolution.
