(Reuters) - Opposition to the government's decision to halt talks on entering the European Union extended throughout Georgia, as protests and skirmishes between protesters and police continued for the fourth night in a row in the capital city of Tbilisi on Sunday.
In Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million people, tensions have been rising for months as opposition to the ruling Georgian Dream party has grown. The government is accused by critics of implementing pro-Russian, anti-Western, and dictatorial policies.
After the Georgian government announced on Thursday that it would halt its EU admission negotiations for the next four years, the situation deteriorated. Widespread protests were triggered by this action, with thousands of pro-EU protesters battling police officers brandishing water cannons and tear gas.
The police responded with a water cannon as demonstrators gathered once more on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi on Sunday night and tossed fireworks at them. The altercation lasted far into the night.
After hours of standoff, police began to push protesters away from the parliament building and towards the Tbilisi Opera House, setting up barricades using materials they could find.
Dissatisfied with the administration, protester Nikoloz Miruashvili said, "It’s been quite exhausting to see that our government fails to acknowledge what the people desire." "My very simple reason for being here is to protect my European future and my nation's democracy," he continued.
In an effort to increase protest attendance, four opposition organizations have urged people to demand paid leave from their employment so they can participate in the demonstrations. According to the nation's labor code, they want employees to have time off.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who supports pro-Western policies, has called for pressure to be exerted on Georgia's Constitutional Court to annul the results of last month’s elections, which were won by the Georgian Dream party. Both she and the opposition claim the election was rigged.
In addition to protests in the capital, reports from Georgian news agency Interpress indicated that demonstrators had blocked a key access road leading into Poti, the country’s main commercial port on the Black Sea.
Beyond Tbilisi, protests have expanded, with at least eight additional cities and towns hosting demonstrations. Residents of Khashuri, a town of 20,000 people, flung eggs at the Georgian Dream local office, according to footage shown by the opposition TV channel Formula.
Georgia's departure from its pro-Western posture has drawn criticism from the US and the EU, who both worry that the administration is leaning further toward Russian influence. Conversely, Georgian Dream argues that its activities are required to safeguard the nation's sovereignty against external meddling.
Former Russian President and Security Chief Dmitry Medvedev kept a close eye on the demonstrations and called it an "attempted revolution." Georgia is "moving quickly down the Ukrainian path, into the dark abyss," he warned on Telegram, implying that the situation could have catastrophic repercussions.
Although the Kremlin has not yet made an official statement regarding the turmoil, it has long charged that the West is planning revolutions in former Soviet states that it still views as within its sphere of influence.
U.S. condemnation of the use of "excessive force" against demonstrators was rejected by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Washington's announcement that it was discontinuing its strategic cooperation with Georgia was dismissed by Kobakhidze as a "temporary event."
The prime minister insisted that Georgia would resume discussions with the new U.S. administration under President-elect Donald Trump once he takes office in January.
Kobakhidze acknowledged President Zourabichvili's "emotional state" but stressed that she would have to leave the presidential home on December 29 and hand the reins over to the next president.
Since Georgia's constitution enshrines the desire to join the EU, hundreds of diplomats and civil workers have signed open letters opposing the suspension of EU discussions, claiming it is unlawful.
In response, Georgia's Foreign Ministry declared that foreign governments must respect Georgia's sovereignty and accused them of trying to meddle in domestic affairs. It also called such activities improper.
Georgia has made an effort to disassociate itself from Russian influence and has generally moved toward the West since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The nation fought a short war with Russia in 2008 and was promised membership in NATO in the future. Last year, it also formally applied to join the EU.
However, domestic opposition and Western governments have grown increasingly concerned that Georgian Dream is moving away from this pro-Western trajectory. In June, the government passed a law requiring non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to register as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
In September, Georgia’s parliament also passed a law restricting LGBT rights, further raising alarm among Western observers and rights groups.
The Georgian government insists that its measures are meant to protect Georgia's sovereignty and keep it from becoming embroiled in a conflict with Russia like Ukraine did. Kaja Kallas, the EU's new head of foreign affairs, said, "We stand with the Georgian people and their choice for a European future," expressing solidarity with the demonstrators.
