Tbilisi protest crackdown: PM says no Ukrainian Maidan scenario in Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze blamed opposition parties and foreign partners for the clashes that occurred during the protest. He also claimed that the opposition allegedly tried to achieve the "Ukrainization of Georgia."

Kobakhidze asserted that for the past three years, the candidate status for EU membership and the issue of opening negotiations had been used "as the main tool to damage Georgia’s image."

"They still don't realize that, unlike Ukraine in 2013, Georgia is an independent state with strong institutions and, most importantly, experienced and wise people whose strength no one can undermine. The Maidan scenario cannot be implemented in Georgia. Georgia is a state, and the Georgian state will not allow it," Kobakhidze said.

Protests in Georgia

It should be noted that on November 28, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the country would refuse to start negotiations for EU membership until the end of 2028. He also stated that Georgia would not accept any financial assistance from the European Union.

This led to protests in Georgia, accompanied by clashes between demonstrators and security forces. There were also arrests, beatings, and injuries.

Dozens of Georgian diplomats condemned the suspension of the country’s European integration. Ukraine also criticized the dispersal of the protesters and expressed disappointment over the disruption of EU integration.

On the evening of November 29, a new large-scale protest began in Tbilisi, which was dispersed by the security forces. By the morning of November 30, the police had completed the crackdown, and footage of the beatings of protestors, including journalists, was published online.