02 Dec 2024 | 12:49 AM UTC
Georgia: Protest activity likely across country through at least early December after officials announce suspension of EU accession talks Nov. 28 /update 9
Anti-government protests continue in Tbilisi, other cities late Dec. 1; protests likely to continue across Georgia through early December.
Anti-government 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 fourth consecutive night on Dec. 1 to protest the decision, with thousands of protesters assembling outside of Parliament on Shota Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. Police have halted traffic on the thoroughfare in recent days. Some demonstrators in the capital launched fireworks and threw stones at security forces, who used water cannon, tear gas, and pepper spray against the protesters. Law enforcement officers forced some activists protesting near the Parliament building to retreat to the vicinity of Tbilisi State University.
Related demonstrations also materialized in several other cities across the country on Dec. 1. Notably, protesters blocked a road in Poti leading to the country's primary commercial seaport; it was not immediately clear if the protest activity led to any disruptions at the facility. Interior Ministry officials have said that at least 44 people have been hospitalized in connection with the protests and associated clashes.
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 150 demonstrators had been arrested as of late Nov. 30. 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.
