Georgians vow to continue pro-EU protests 'until victory'

Police in Georgia have used water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds as mass protests sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union continue for a ninth night.

Police have reportedly resorted to more heavy handed tactics in a bid to clamp down on the unrest with more than 400 protesters, including opposition leaders and activists, detained and more than 100 people treated for injuries.

One 22-year-old protester was placed in an induced coma after he was allegedly hit with a tear gas capsule.

In a post on X, Georgia’s pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili condemned what she called “brutal terror and repression” and accused security forces of “gross violations of human rights”.

More than 50 journalists have also been injured in the protests so far.

The ruling Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the disputed 26 October election, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations.

The opposition have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with the help neighbouring Russia to keep the Moscow-friendly ruling Georgian Dream party in power.

But the protests against the election became angrier and spread beyond the capital Tbilisi after the Georgian Dream’s decision last Thursday to put EU accession talks on hold until at least 2028.

“Georgian citizens are in the streets defending Article 78 of the Constitution, which states that each governmental entity must support European integration. Angry citizens have taken to the streets. The force the regime is using against peaceful demonstrators closely resembles that of the Russian regime. Therefore, we are fighting against it,” said protester, Giorgi Natroshvili.

The decision to suspend accession talks was in response to a European Parliament resolution that criticised the elections as neither free nor fair.

It said the election represented another manifestation of Georgia’s continued democratic backsliding “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible.”

International observers say they saw instances of violence, bribery and double voting at the polls, prompting some EU lawmakers to demand a re-run.

“People continue coming because, day by day the government is becoming worse. They’re getting more and more violent and they’re shifting towards authoritarianism,” said protester, Luka Andguladze.

“So people believe that with our strong will, they will crumble, they will tire, the West will support us, and there will be a time when they will step aside and they will fulfil our request, which is new fair elections under fair laws.”

The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that it meet the bloc’s recommendations, but Brussels put that process on hold earlier this year after the passage of a controversial ‘foreign influence’ law, which was widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.

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Critics have also accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.