The Trump/Musk cuts could shut us down — permanently
You can help us survive with a monthly membership or a single donation for as little as $5. In a world drowning in disinformation, your support means we can continue bringing you the real, fact-checked stories that matter.
Become a member
Thousands of people gathered outside the Georgian Parliament on Friday evening in the 100th consecutive day of protests against the government’s U-turn on EU membership negotiations.Protesters have continued to block the street outside parliament daily since the ruling Georgian Dream party announced in late November that they would not pursue talks on EU membership ‘until 2028’. It came as the government had grown increasingly hostile towards the EU and Western countries, who had been critical of the government’s slide into authoritarianism.During Friday evening’s demonstration, protesters gathered outside Tbilisi State University, where a letter from academics was read out expressing concern that reforms announced by Georgian Dream threatened to curtail academic freedom. Protesters then marched to parliament before dispersing shortly thereafter.Tornike Abuladze, a 26-year-old activist attending the demonstration, said his mood had repeatedly shifted over the past 100 days of protests, but that he remained convinced that continuing the protests was essential.‘There’s no way back. Georgian Dream continues its repression and pressure’, he told OC Media, expressing hope that both internal resistance and international pressure would eventually have an effect.‘We’re exhausted, we’re burned out — but I still believe this protest will bring results’, he added.A protester launches a firework into the air outside the Georgian Parliament on 7 March.Ketevan Janjalia, 52, who also attended the protest, echoed the ‘every single person’s presence matters if we want to become a country where the rule of law prevails and people are not oppressed’, she said. ‘Nothing has ever been achieved without a fight.’Though she admitted that after 100 days of protests she had doubts the protests could succeed, she said she remained committed to continuing to demonstrate for as long as it took.‘Hope dies last’, she added.During the 100 days of protest, Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue has been blocked daily, though the size of the demonstrations has significantly decreased since the initial stages. Tightened legislation has led to increasing numbers of protesters being identified through surveillance cameras, with many facing large fines for blocking the road.100 days of protestsThe current wave of protests first broke out spontaneously on the evening of 28 November, just hours after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government’s EU U-turn.The announcement came a month after the Central Election Committee handed the ruling Georgian Dream party victory in parliamentary elections that saw widespread incidents of vote buying and breaches of voter secrecy.While sporadic protests had taken place following the elections, November’s announcement saw a wave of anger across much of Georgia.The protests spread to towns and cities across the country, including places where demonstrations have in the past been rare.In Tbilisi, weeks of violence followed as riot police attempted to disperse the demonstrators from the first night, with protesters pushing back. Over the following week, the heart of Tbilisi resembled a battleground, as protesters built barricades, lit bonfires, and launched fireworks at police, who deployed water cannons and tear gas.Police responded to the protests with violence, including what appeared to be repeated and deliberate attacks on journalists.Protesters detained during the protests have reported being systematically robbed and beaten by police, with testimony from several detainees revealing episodes of extreme violence and intimidation.‘When we get in the minibus, the fun will start’ — How Georgian police torture detained protestersDemonstrators detained by police during the protests in Tbilisi have noted a systemic pattern of police brutality.At one point during the protests, protesters, opposition figures, and journalists were targeted by brutal attacks from unknown masked men, assumed to be linked to the state. Similar attacks on government critics took place during last year’s protests against the foreign agent law.Hundreds of people have been detained over the last 100 days, with criminal cases launched in more than 50 instances.Around 40 people are believed to remain in custody on criminal charges, and their release — along with calls for new parliamentary elections — has become one of the demonstrators' key demands.Amid the state’s intransigence, the protests have evolved into diverse forms. Along with daily demonstrations outside parliament and marches through the streets, students have began sit-ins at campus entrances, and theaters have gone on strike. Businesses shutter in Georgia amidst 3-hour general strikeThousands of employees walk out of their jobs demanding new and fair parliamentary elections.The demonstrations have also seen a rare instance of protest by public servants, many of whom signed petitions criticisng the government's suspension of Georgia's EU membership bid. This has led to the passing of a law simplifying the procedures for firing civil servants and widespread reports of civil servants losing their jobs on various pretexts.Fired for speaking out — the ‘cleansing’ of Georgia’s civil serviceDozens of civil servants have been dismissed after speaking out against the halting of Georgia’s EU membership process.Georgian Dream doubles downSince the protests began, the ruling Georgian Dream party has continued to double down on its attacks on the West, accusing opponents of conspiring against the state and repeatedly claiming that the restrictive measures are necessary to counter external forces attempting to undermine stability in Georgia.This has included rapidly pushing forward a series of restrictive legislative changes related to protests, increasing fines and prison sentences, and introducing new criminal offences that critics have insisted are attempts to intimidate and punish protestors.The ruling party has also intensified its attempts to suppress civil society and the media with new legislation, having already targeted them with the foreign agent and anti-queer law.