Georgian Dream MPs attack Georgian citizen in Abu Dhabi hotel, sparking violent chaos

In the city of Abu Dhabi, Georgian Dream lawmakers attacked a citizen who had confronted them the day before over the ruling party's policies.

The incident occurred at a Radisson Blu hotel in Abu Dhabi, resulting in a chaotic scene that was caught on video that was then widely shared on social media. The incident involved Irakli Zarkua, Viktor Sanikidze, and Gela Samkharauli, all of whom are Georgian Dream MPs.

The Georgian citizen they physically clashed with was identified as Lasha Gabitashvili. Based on publicly available information, Gabitashvili is politically active, but a private citizen with no direct connections to Georgian politics.

Lasha Gabitashvili’s brother Davit died during the June 2015 flood in Tbilisi that killed at least 20 people. His family sued several state agencies, including the Interior Ministry, the Emergency Management Agency, and the National Environment Agency, accusing them of negligence.

Last year, the appellate court partially upheld the family’s claim and ordered the Tbilisi Police Department to compensate for moral damages. Lasha Gabitashvili told RFE/RL that the decision was not enough, as the court failed to recognise that‘the system did not function’ during the catastrophic flood.

The conflict took place in the hotel’s dining area on Monday. In a video shared on social media, which is believed to show the beginning of the incident, MP Zarkua can be seen approaching Gabitashvili, who was having breakfast, throwing food at his face, and physically confronting him. At the same moment, MP Sanikidze joined the altercation.

Another video shows Gabitashvili jumping on Zarkua while beating him, at which point Sanikidze rushed from behind, grabbed Zarkua, and struck Gabitashvili.

In yet another video, Gabitashvili and the MPs can be seen exchanging insults. In response to one of the insults, as Sanikidze was walking toward the exit, he turned around and attacked Gabitashvili again, but Gabitashvili defended himself and retaliated. At this moment, MP Samkharauli also physically confronted Gabitashvili.

OC Media reached out to both the Abu Dhabi police and the Radisson Blu for comments regarding the incident. Neither has responded so far, although a photo, likely taken after the incident, shows a police officer standing in front of Zarkua.

Following the incident, Gabitashvili posted a video detailing his version of the fight, stating that Zarkua and the others attacked him while he was having breakfast with his wife. He emphasised that ruling party deputies were probably irritated by the previous day’s verbal confrontation.

In the video, bruises are clearly visible on his face.

What preceded the fight

The physical conflict followed a verbal altercation between Gabitashvili and the Georgian Dream MPs the previous day at the same hotel.

Gabitashvili approached Zarkua and other MPs while filming with his phone camera and asked if they were aware that the police had arrested demonstrators in Batumi for putting up stickers and asked them about reports of police torture against detained protesters in Tbilisi.

Zarkua tried to slap Gabitashvili’s phone out of his hand and then the two cursed at each other — Gabitashvili referred to Zarkua as a ‘slave’ and a ‘traitor’, telling him that ‘the people will not forgive this betrayal’. The word slave has been a common refrain to refer to police and Georgian Dream officials throughout anti-government protests in Georgia over the last year.

Later, Gabitashvili wrote on Facebook that he went to the deputies to remind them of Georgian Dream’s actions, as well as to emphasise that ‘new elections must be held and people should be freed from prison’.

‘However, Zarkua slapped my phone and insulted me!’ Gabitashvili wrote.

In response to the widely circulated video of the confrontation, Zarkua also posted on social media, calling the incident ‘a staged performance by provocateurs’. In his post, Zarkua referred to Gabitashvili using mocking and offensive language.

Recently, citizens have repeatedly confronted Georgian Dream MPs in the streets, airports, and elsewhere, including abroad, criticising them for the adoption of Russian-style laws and the government’s EU U-turn.

‘When we get in the minibus, the fun will start’ — How Georgian police torture detained protesters

Demonstrators detained by police during the protests in Tbilisi have noted a systemic pattern of police brutality.

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