Georgian riot police in Tbilisi have violently cracked down on a pro-EU demonstration sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia was halting its EU membership bid ‘until 2028’.

Thousands of demonstrators stayed overnight on Rustaveli Avenue, periodically clashing with the riot police who were using pepper spray, water cannons, tear gas, and physical violence against demonstrators, opposition figures, and journalists.

Mtavari Arkhi published video footage showing law enforcement officers allegedly firing rubber bullets at demonstrators.

While several demonstrators were detained throughout the night, the Interior Ministry has yet to confirm the number of detainees.

The protest in Tbilisi and several other cities, including Batumi, Kutaisi, Gori, Zugdidi, and Telavi erupted shortly after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze  stated that the country was halting its EU membership bid ‘until the end of 2028’.

[Read more: Georgian Dream to halt EU membership bid]

In Tbilisi, protesters gathered around the ruling Georgian Dream party’s headquarters before proceeding to march to Rustaveli Avenue, where parliament is located.

Georgia’s outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili made an appearance at the protest in Tbilisi, where she addressed the riot police, calling on them to remember who they served.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has addressed riot police near the Georgian Parliament telling them to remember that they serve Georgia.

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— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) November 28, 2024

‘It is not your duty to tear people apart. Do you serve Russia or Georgia? To whom did you swear an oath? I am interested in your answer. Will you not answer the president?’ Zourabichvili asked them. ‘For how many GEL [Georgian Lari] are you serving another country?’

There was no response from the riot police. 

Tensions between the protesters and police continued to escalate throughout the night, as police heavily reinforced their numbers as the protest went on. 

The Interior Ministry later published a statement saying that the demonstration had gone ‘beyond the norms established by the Law of Georgia on Assemblies and Demonstrations’.

Riot police then escalated by deploying large amounts of pepper spray and water cannons to disperse the protesters from the sides of parliament onto Rustaveli Avenue.

Throughout the protest, footage regularly emerged of police violently assaulting and detaining protesters.

Human rights organisations condemned the riot police’s use of force on Rustaveli Avenue, describing them as measures ‘carried out with the use of unlawful and disproportionate force’. 

Police have attempted to push the protesters off of Rustaveli Avenue, where they have set up makeshift barricades and lit fires along the street.

At around 06:00 the opposition Coalition for Change group stated that two of their leaders, Elene Khoshtaria and Nana Malashkhia, were injured during the protest.

Journalists detained, beaten, and water cannonned

During the protest, numerous reports emerged of journalists being targeted by riot police.

OC Media’s journalist and co-director, Mariam Nikuradze, was hit by one of the earlier deployment of the water cannons. She sought medical care at an ambulance nearby shortly after, reporting that there was likely pepper spray mixed in with the water.

OC Media's @mari_nikuradze sought medical attention after being fired at with water mixed with pepper spray from water cannons on Rustaveli Avenue.

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— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) November 28, 2024

Nikuradze’s camera additionally got damaged when she was hit by the water cannon. The police also knocked Nikuradze’s phone out of her hand as she was filming them marching through the street. 

Riot police also fired tear gas directly at OC Media’s editor-in-chief Robin Fabbro on Lesia Ukrainka Street, a side street off of Rustaveli Avenue. There were only a few other people on the street, and Fabbro was wearing a vest that clearly stated he was a member of the press. 

Riot police fired tear gas directly at OC Media’s editor-in-chief Robin Fabbro on Lesia Ukrainka Street, a side street off of Rustaveli Avenue. There were only a few other people on the street, and Fabbro was wearing a vest that clearly stated he was a member of the press. pic.twitter.com/NbS9FiGU18

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) November 28, 2024

Publika’s journalist Aleksandre Keshelashvili was also reportedly temporarily detained by the police. In a Facebook post, Keshelashvili wrote that upon his detention, he tried to tell the police that he was a journalist, but said that it only made the police — who were masked — insult him and beat him more.

Keshelashvili says that the police confiscated his cameras, press ID, and gas mask. 

TV Formula published footage appearing to show a riot police officer tackling and hitting their journalist, Guram Rogava, on the head, and later being hospitalised as a result. 

According to them, the officer was ‘first beating a fallen civilian, then ran towards Guram Rogava and deliberately hit him in the head’.

TV Pirveli reported that one of their camera operators, Niko Kokaia, was injured while covering the protests on Rustaveli, accusing the police of spraying pepper spray in his face from close range. 

‘TV Pirveli assigns the responsibility to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, and we call on him to give us the opportunity to fulfill our professional duties’, the station wrote. ‘We explain that special forces are particularly aggressive towards TV operators. Their goal is to disable the TV signal’.

At around 07:00, RFE/RL’s journalist, Dato Tsagareli, was reportedly punched in the stomach by a masked riot police officer while he was covering the protest.

During the protest, riot police also appeared to be deliberately hitting on-duty journalists on Rustaveli Avenue with water cannons. 

Riot police in Georgia appear to be targeting journalists covering the protest in Tbilisi with water cannons.

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— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) November 28, 2024

President Zourabichvili has posted on X in solidarity with journalists, saying that she stood ‘with the Georgian media, who are disproportionately targeted and attacked while doing their job and reporting continuously.