Georgia Police Detain Dozens Amid Crackdown on Pro-EU Protests

Tbilisi (Eurotoday) – Georgia police said they had captured dozens of people in an overnight operation on pro-EU protesters. 

Georgian police said on 7 Dec 2024 they apprehended dozens of people during a crackdown on pro-EU protesters who mobilised for a ninth consecutive day against the government’s decision to postpone talks on joining the bloc. Security forces shot tear gas and water cannons to scatter the thousands of people who had assembled outside parliament in Tbilisi in the evening to demand fresh elections and a return to European integration.

“Law enforcement detained 48 individuals for disobedience to lawful police orders and petty hooliganism,” the interior ministry stated in a statement.

Why are protests erupting in Georgia against the government?

Georgia has been engulfed in unrest since the governing Georgian Dream party announced that it had won a debated October 26 election. The government, which critics blame for creeping authoritarianism and steering the country back towards Russia, last week declared it would suspend talks to join the European Union, flashing a fresh wave of demonstrations. Authorities’ heavy-handed reaction has triggered anger at home and mounting international condemnation.

Hundreds of detentions have been made. The country’s rights ombudsman has blamed the police for “torture” against those imprisoned, with scores reporting mistreatment or showing visible injuries.

6 Dec 2024 night’s demonstration had been largely quiet until riot police moved in to clear the area. Skirmishes ensued with police making detentions and protesters launching fireworks at security forces.

The interior ministry expressed authorities dispersed the mass after the “actions of some of the people at the protest took on a violent character,” with some verbally abusing police officers and throwing stones at them.

As on several earlier nights, the protest concluded at dawn and is expected to resume on Saturday. With both flanks ruling out a compromise, there seemed to be no clear route out of the crisis. The United States, France and Germany are among the Western nations to have denounced the crackdown on demonstrations.