Gakharia pelted with eggs at Tbilisi International Airport

Giorgi Gakharia, a former prime minister and the current leader of the opposition For Georgia party, along with his colleague Elguja Khokrishvili, were pelted with eggs at Tbilisi International Airport upon their return to Georgia from the Munich Security Conference.

On Monday, the party stated that early that morning, Gakharia and Khokrishvili were met at Tbilisi International Airport by ‘a pre-organised, pre-prepared party [of hired thugs], who were assisted by the absolute inaction of the police present on the spot, who were also warned in advance’.

‘The hysterical, violent so-called government is becoming uncontrollable’, the statement read. ‘It is understandable that [Bidzina] Ivanishvili is frightened by the results of the Munich Security Conference, and this hysteria is also caused by this’.

The party’s statement did not specify that the politicians were pelted with eggs by unknown individuals at the airport.

For Georgia was founded in May 2021 by Gakharia, who left Georgian Dream earlier that year due to disagreements with its leadership.

The video footage, which was shared by several media outlets, showed Gakharia, along with Khorkishvili, being followed by people who were asking in a derogatory manner, ‘are you no longer funded by USAID?’, ‘Are you no longer a salesman, an unprincipled agent?’

After these phrases, some of the individuals threw eggs at Gakharia and Khorkishvili and cursed at the two. The incident took place inside the airport.

The party statement also noted that the attackers were aided by ‘absolute inaction by the police present on the scene, who were also warned in advance’.

Video footage showed that Gakharia was again egged after leaving the airport, as he was getting into his car. Those taking video kept calling him ‘agent’, ‘traitor to the country’, and ‘unprincipled’.

On the same day, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze told journalists that the state agency is ‘investigating this fact and will take appropriate action’.

OC Media contacted the Interior Ministry to find out additional details about the investigation, but the ministry said they could not share any further information.

Georgian Dream MP Levan Machavariani stated on Monday that such an action has never been the ‘handwriting’ of Georgian Dream. However, according to him, there may be those among their voters who ‘express their dissatisfaction in this way’.

‘It is in Mr. Gakharia’s interest to blame this on the Georgian Dream. I simply note that this has never been our handwriting, unlike the collective national movement [...]’, he said.

Georgian Dream and their satellites refer to all major pro-Western opposition groups in Georgia as the ‘collective National Movement’ or the ‘National Movement’, a reference to the former ruling party, the United National Movement (UNM).

‘We have more than 1,120,000 voters, therefore, of course, many of them will be dissatisfied with Mr. Gakharia’s steps, as well as with the steps of the rest of the opposition. Someone may express their dissatisfaction in one way, someone in another, but we, of course, call on everyone to refrain from even such actions’.

Speaking about the incident, Berdia Sichinava, executive secretary of the For Georgia party, said that Ivanishvili ‘knows exactly that Gakharia will not forgive him for betraying Georgia, and that is why he is so angry with him’.

In January, members of Georgian Dream, including MP Dimitri Samkharadze and Adjara Supreme Council member Giorgi Manvelidze, were accused by politicians, activists, and others, of attacking Gakharia and Transparency International (TI) Georgia member Zviad Koridze in Batumi.

Tako Shantadze, a local doctor who treated Gakharia following this incident, told media that Gakharia had received a broken nose and a concussion, but that he had voluntarily left the clinic where he was receiving treatment.

At the time, the Interior Ministry also launched a criminal investigation into the attack  as an ‘act of violence’.

Georgian Dream members accused of attacking Gakharia and TI Georgia member in Batumi

Former PM Giorgi Gakharia and Transparency International employee Zviad Koridze were attacked 15 minutes apart in the same hotel.

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