The Minutiae
It is in the minutiae that we find the flow of history.
It is in the minutiae that we find the flow of history.
Coffee in one hand, phone in the other, I settled in to read the news. Notifications and messages flooded my screen. A hot irritation crept up the back of my neck- I had missed something big. While I was watching reruns of random Thanksgiving episodes, police were trying to break up a protest with water cannons a few blocks away.
After the demoralizing protest on Monday, opposition leaders focused on the international community, calling for sanctions and an investigation into the election. Events slowed and tensions were brought down to a simmer. Then Thursday happened.
Around mid-day, Irakli Kobakhidze was reappointed as the Prime Minister, by the Georgian Dream-led parliament. Hours after his appointment, he gave a speech where he stated that Georgia would not pursue negotiations with the EU or accept EU grants until 2028. He continued, saying Georgia would enter the EU on its own terms, “with dignity.”
This message shocked and enraged Georgians across the country. Several Georgian Ambassadors resigned their positions in protest. Employees of the National Bank and the Tbilisi City Hall called the move unconstitutional and condemned it. President Zourabichvili accused the government of declaring war on its own people and invited citizens to join her in protest. Despite the short notice, the cold, and the intimidating lines of riot police, thousands of people gathered in front of Parliament. This time it got ugly.
Protesters built barricades, shot fireworks, and covered Parliament with spray paint and derision. In turn, riot police sprayed the crowd with water cannons, pepper spray, and tear gas. A few police were injured, 40- 60 protesters were detained, and hundreds were beaten.
The number of detainments and injuries is inconsistent, however; the number of journalists attacked has been well documented. Civil Georgia, provides a list of journalists, their networks, and descriptions of their attacks
Georgia sees itself as a European country. Being European is part of many Georgians’ identity and EU membership would validate that perception.
The pursuit of EU integration is written into Georgia’s constitution, Article 78. In 2023, surveys done by the National Democratic Institute and CRRC Georgia, as well as the International Republican Institute, showed that 80% or more of Georgians support EU integration.
The desire to be in the EU goes well beyond self-perception and rests on economics and security. Joining the EU means job opportunities throughout Europe, it means a higher standard of living and access to reliable trade partners. It also reduces Russia’s economic influence on Georgia and makes another Russian invasion less likely.
Some observers question the ambition of EU integration, arguing that the EU dictates unpopular policies, such as immigration and LGBT rights. Others say the EU is in decline, describing it as a sinking ship.
Take a closer look at Georgia’s fellow post-soviet states. Post-Soviet countries in the EU—like Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania—outperform non-EU neighbors like Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus on nearly every metric: GDP per capita, standard of living, and Individual Freedoms.
Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have ongoing territorial disputes and unresolved conflicts directly and indirectly instigated by Russia. After a fraudulent election in 2020, Belarusians protested Lukashenko’s dictatorial rule. Thousands were arrested and beaten, hundreds were tortured, and dozens died.
Russia supported Lukashenko and used his vulnerability to turn Belarus into a vassal state. In 2022, Russian troops protected the Kazakh government, after 238 citizens had been killed in protests. Not to mention, Georgia was invaded by Russia in 2008 and Ukraine is currently being invaded.
Georgia has lived under Russia’s rule before. They know what that life is like and vehemently do not want it. For those who are tempted to suggest neutrality, I would refer you to the above section referencing Russia’s habit of interference and invasion. Living near Russia is precarious with strong allies, without them; it’s deadly.
Asking why Georgia wants to be a part of the EU is like asking someone why they want more opportunities, why they want more freedom, why they don’t want to be invaded by their neighbor.
My eyes and throat burned. Pepper spray and tear gas still hanging in the air, almost 20 hours later. Though people had been soaked, gassed, and beaten the night before, just as many showed up Friday.
Moments of tension were mixed with camaraderie. A group of people carried black and white portraits of journalists who had been injured by the police. They waved the pictures in front of the police line, demanding to know who the police worked for, Georgia or Putin.
A few meters away, a group of friends wearing helmets and gas masks stood in a circle talking and laughing. One member of the group cradled a carton of milk in her arms. On a nearby bench sat a row of somber women, all over the age of fifty. As I watched, a young woman ran to the older women and handed them a bottle of water and a sleeve of plastic cups. These preparations for tear gas, having milk or water at hand, were a reminder that clashes were coming.
It started around 23:00. The water cannons were turned on and the protesters were pushed back, only to regroup on the avenue in front of Parliament. It was there where the protesters stood their ground for the better part of the next seven hours. They held the police off with fireworks, barricades, and will.
Police encircled the remaining protesters and vicious beatings ensued.
Unlike many protesters, who were running from police or being detained, I was at home with a cup of coffee. Instead of news, I checked various social media channels to see what was happening and what I had missed. After digesting the videos of police brutality from just an hour before, I scrolled to see how the rest of the world was reacting.
Amid the general chaos of Twitter and Facebook, I noticed two disturbing trends. The first was unsurprising. Several users claimed the protests were “Western” driven. They copy-pasted the same tales spread about Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity. A few claimed protesters had been paid, others said they had been duped. Even more, posts threw around names like Soros and Nuland. Though annoying, this response was basic and expected.
What I had not expected was a trend predicting with certainty that a protester would be intentionally killed. These posts were mostly tied into a larger conspiracy claiming ‘pro-western powers’ would kill someone to mobilize protesters against the government. After following a few threads I found a post citing a Russian news article.
The article was from July 2024, during another round of Georgian protests, Russia’s Sputnik news predicted there would be a ‘sacred victim,’ chosen from one of the protesters. On October 28, TASS reported that Ukrainian-trained snipers were seen at the Georgian protests. Several news sites repeated the story. These claims have been refuted.
It is telling how much these pre-planted narratives benefit Russia. If Georgia’s protest mirrors those of Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, citizens will die. Through these articles, Russia has already laid the groundwork to blame “the West” for their deaths. If the protests morph into a successful revolution, like Ukraine, the idea that it was a Western orchestrated cue is already out there, tarnishing the revolution’s legitimacy.
One of my flatmates saw me putting my shoes on. He stopped in the hallway and asked if I was going to the protests again. I nodded. My flatmate is Russian and has experience with violent protests. He shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
“You won’t find protests so interesting once you’ve been pepper sprayed.”
“I doubt that,” I said and continued tying my shoes.
“You don’t have to go,” he said.
“No one has to go.”
He shook his head. “They have to go.”
Annoyed, I dismissed his words, said goodbye, and left.
Perched on what used to be a plant-filled median, but was now mostly mud, I watched the crowd of protesters. They varied in age, class, and aesthetics, but they were all standing in the cold, prepared to be sprayed, gassed, or even beaten. It made me think about what my flatmate said. “They have to go.”
Dropping my reflexive argumentativeness, I understood his meaning. In countries where institutions are not strong enough to protect rights or check overreacting governments, it is left to the citizens. If they want stability, economic prosperity, or autonomy, they have to sacrifice their time, comfort, and physical safety.
At the moment, it looks like Georgians are willing to make these sacrifices, but it also looks like the government is willing to make the fight more costly. In turn, the international community may put pressure on the government, tipping the scales. However, Russia is there to fill any sanction-shaped holes. We will see who holds out the longest and who gets to shape Georgia’s future, the government or the people.