Ruling party MP claims “foreign-backed” groups disrupting April 9 memorial

A senior member of Georgia’s ruling party has accused “foreign-financed groups” of attempting to hijack the symbolism of April 9, a day commemorating the deadly Soviet crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in 1989 and a key milestone in the country’s struggle for independence.

Speaking on Wednesday, Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, said April 9 marked the moment when the Georgian people declared they no longer wanted to be ruled from abroad. “Today, after 36 years, Georgia still has to fight to strengthen its sovereignty,” he said.

Gorduladze issued a warning to protesters gathered near the April 9 Memorial in central Tbilisi, claiming some were acting under the influence of foreign powers. “April 9 does not belong to people financed from abroad,” he said. “It belongs to the Georgian people.”

He singled out opera singer and opposition figure Paata Burchuladze, alleging he and others were “led by the Russian government,” despite their public stance against Moscow. According to Gorduladze, such figures were not allowing citizens to properly honour the memory of those killed in 1989.

“This is a catastrophic situation,” he said. “A number of people are misled and are opening a corridor for foreign diplomats and their representatives, while preventing the Georgian people from paying tribute to the fallen heroes.”

The MP further suggested that provocations were being planned to destabilise the country, warning that Georgia would not allow itself to become a “battlefield for confrontation between the Georgian people.”