Mass Protests in Georgia: What’s at Stake?

On November 28, Georgia's de-facto prime minister announced the suspension of accession talks with the European Union until 2028, which ignited widespread protests across the country. With over 80 percent of the population supporting EU integration, hundreds of thousands of Georgians took to the streets nationwide. The protests quickly escalated into broader acts of civil disobedience involving public servants, the central bank, government ministries, the diplomatic corps, cultural institutions, and universities. In response, the government cracked down aggressively, labelling protesters as “radicals” and employing mass arrests, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse demonstrators.

The protests are not solely driven by the government’s reversal on EU integration but by broader frustrations with what protesters describe as an illegitimate regime. The ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory in the disputed October 26 parliamentary elections, despite opposition groups and local observers reporting “large-scale” vote rigging that influenced the outcome.

Georgian civil society had been documenting Georgian Dream’s systematic capture of state institutions long before this crisis. Over 12 years in power, the ruling party has extended its influence over the judiciary and regulatory bodies, including the Central Election Commission and the National Bank of Georgia. Many also believe that Bidzina Ivanishvili—the oligarch who amassed his wealth in Russia and is widely seen as Georgia’s informal ruler—treats the country as his personal property. By maintaining ultimate control over Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili has gradually converted his vast financial resources into unchecked political power, cementing his dominance over Georgia’s political landscape.

This seemingly internal political struggle has taken on a significant international dimension since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While most Western nations confronted the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions with unprecedented sanctions, Georgia, a country that was one of the first victims of Russian expansionism in 2008, abstained from joining these efforts. Instead, it propagated conspiracies that the West sought to drag Georgia into war with Russia. For some, this represented a cautious, multi-vector foreign policy. However, many raised alarm over Georgian Dream's increasingly pro-Russian stance.

Tensions escalated in the spring of 2023 when Georgian Dream introduced a controversial, Russian-inspired "Foreign Agents" law. Mirroring Russian legislation, this law targeted independent media and non-governmental organizations in Georgia, posing a severe threat to democratic principles. Its adoption would not only derail Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations but also significantly endanger civil liberties. Georgian civil society responded with unprecedented unity, forcing the government to withdraw the proposal.

However, in May 2024, Georgian Dream reintroduced the legislation under a new guise—the "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence"—and pushed it through despite mass protests in the streets and severe international criticism.

As a result, many in Georgia viewed the October 2024 elections as both a referendum on the country’s aspirations to join the EU and a final opportunity to save what was left of its fragile democracy. The aftermath of the contested elections revealed the Georgian Dream government’s readiness to deploy mass repression tactics. Shocking images of violence have emerged from Tbilisi, showing protesters brutally beaten on their heads, intimidated, and pursued even after leaving protest sites. Majority of those arrested report being beaten while in detention. It is clear that the riot police are not merely seeking to disperse the protests but are intent on punishing and instilling fear in demonstrators.

Journalists, who have played a critical role in exposing deployed violence against protesters, are among the government’s direct targets. The ruling party has turned to unofficial private security contractors—infamously known as "Titushky"—to attack protesters while police stand by. Even if the regime attempts to hide behind a guise of plausible deniability, the police's failure to intervene, documented on cameras, makes it clear that the ruling party bears full responsibility for these crimes.

Despite significant human rights violations and the brutal suppression of protests, the Western response to developments in Georgia has been weak. The United States has suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, UK halted aid and cooperation with the Georgian Government while the Baltic states have imposed national sanctions on officials responsible for suppressing the protests. However, the West must take more decisive and united action to support the Georgian people.

As an immediate step, the EU and the US should refuse to recognize the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections and back President Salome Zourabichvili’s call for free and fair elections under a reformed Central Election Commission. Simultaneously, Georgia’s Western partners should impose targeted financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his close associates responsible for undermining Georgian democracy and violently suppressing protests.

At the same time, the EU and the US should also consider redirecting their funding from governmental actors to Georgia’s civil society. This approach would empower democratic forces and reaffirm the West’s commitment to the Georgian people and their pro-Western aspirations.

The stakes for this protest movement are extremely high. Its failure would jeopardize the West’s strategic interests in the region and have a severe blow to the civil liberties of Georgian society. The outcome will hinge on two key factors: the resolve of the Georgian people to stand against the ruling party and the actions—or inactions—of the EU and the US. Up until now, the Georgian people have shown remarkable determination and a willingness to make significant sacrifices. It is now up to the West  to decide whether it will step up and support this critical struggle.