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Georgian protesters hopeful of keeping European Union membership dream alive as they take to the streets in an 11th consecutive day of protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi.
Tens of thousands of people flooded the streets of the Georgian capital to demonstrate against the governing party’s decision to suspend EU accession talks for four years. The rally took place outside the parliament building in Tbilisi and was met with considerable force. Georgian police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters and quell the unrest. Riot police units were also deployed to break up the rallies. Protesters say many of their peers were beaten with batons. Georgian police resorting to increased violence against journalistsA separate demonstration was also organised to decry violence against journalists covering the rallies. On Sunday, several hundred media workers marched down Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue holding posters containing pictures of their colleagues they say had been assaulted while doing their jobs. “Our colleagues are beaten, injured, some remain in hospital in serious condition,” says Ekaterine Mishveladze, anchor at independent Georgian broadcaster, TV Pirveli. On Saturday night’s demonstrations, reporter Maka Chikhladze and her colleague at TV Pirveli were targeted by a violent mob, who attempted to intimidate the pair into silence. Chikhladze said her colleague captured footage of men dressed in black, who joined the rallies only to attack the protesters. The mob realising they’ve been caught on camera turned to Chikhladze and violently shoved her to the ground. Her colleague was also attacked, sustained a head injury and had her camera and gear stolen in the process, said Chikhladze. Why are Georgians protesting?The ruling Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in a disputed parliamentary election on 26 October, a vote that was widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations. The opposition accused the governing party of rigging the vote with the help neighbouring Russia to keep what they call the ‘Moscow-friendly’ Georgian Dream party in power. But the initial protests against the election took on a new dimension 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. 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.” Tbilisi formally applied for EU membership in March of 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They were granted EU Candidate Status in December the following year, to the delight of many Georgians who celebrated on the streets of Tbilisi. Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate against this injustice, for as long as it takes, until their demands are met.
