PM warns of ‘firm’ state response to announced rally, vows ‘greater identification’ of ‘violent actors’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has warned that any violence linked to an opposition-announced rally on Saturday would be met with a strict state response and said law-enforcement agencies had been given specific instructions to enforce the law robustly.

Speaking at a government briefing on Friday, Kobakhidze said authorities were prepared to identify and hold accountable those who commit violent acts at demonstrations. He recalled that during a previous protest the authorities managed to identify roughly three percent of the perpetrators, but promised that if violence occurs at the planned rally “the identification rate will be much higher.”

“We are not only calling for law and order - we are giving concrete instructions to law-enforcement bodies and relevant officers to uphold the law very strictly and to ensure its enforcement within the legal framework,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister dismissed the announced action as the protest of a politically opposed group rather than a reflection of broader public sentiment, arguing that genuine public support will be expressed at the ballot box rather than at “small street protests.” He said such gatherings typically numbered between 50 and 300 participants, while predicting that “hundreds of thousands” will turn out in support of Georgian Dream tomorrow.

Kobakhidze also rejected the notion of a “peaceful revolution,” calling it an oxymoron and saying that any attempt to overthrow or change the constitutional order by force would receive an appropriate response from the state. He warned those threatening to use violence to change the country’s constitutional system to “await the state’s response.”