Georgian Parliament Speaker slams “opposition protests”, draws parallels with Maidan

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday called ongoing protests against the Government’s decision to halt the country’s EU integration “opposition-run”, drawing comparisons with Ukraine’s Maidan protests in 2013-2014.

He claimed that the opposition’s actions, including the decoration of a Christmas tree in Tbilisi with those beaten and assaulted during the protests, similar to the one used during the Maidan protests, were part of a “deliberate attempt to replicate the scenario that led to violence and the deaths of over 100 people in Ukraine”.

Papuashvili emphasized that the current protest on Rustaveli Avenue had no connection to Georgian protest culture, asserting that the opposition’s behavior was predictable and follows a well-known script.

“We have said all this in advance, a long time ago. We were saying it back in the spring, including to foreigners, that the opposition would not recognize the results of these elections, and all this was fulfilled,” he said. He predicted that, just as in 2020, the opposition’s efforts to challenge the people’s choice would fail.

Papuashvili stressed the potential dangers of “romanticizing” the Maidan protests, reminding the public that more than 100 people lost their lives during the unrest. He warned that the opposition’s actions were leading Georgia towards a similar outcome, with escalating violence and lawlessness. He compared the current unrest to the violent events of the 1990s, suggesting that the political situation was evolving in a similar direction.