Police detained 107 people in the centre of Tbilisi at a protest by dissenters against the Georgian authorities’ decision to postpone the country’s EU accession talks, the Georgian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The Interior Ministry said:
“Despite numerous appeals by the Interior Ministry, the action on Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament building repeatedly went beyond the limits set by the law on assemblies and demonstrations.”
The strike involves dozens of private universities and schools, as well as a number of state universities. All these institutions declare disagreement with the government, demand Georgia be put back on the road to Europe and temporarily halt the educational process.
Some judges, employees of the Constitutional Court, the National Centre for Disease Control, as well as hundreds of employees of the House of Justice under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia are protesting. Their letters have been posted on social media.
A statement of disagreement with the decision of the authorities was signed by 50 employees of the Georgian Defence Ministry and 130 diplomats. Georgian Ambassador to Bulgaria Otar Berdzenishvili resigned and expressed solidarity with the strike participants. Georgia’s ambassador to South Korea noted on social media that Georgia needs to join the EU and NATO more than ever.
The opposition protests began on Thursday after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the postponement of Georgia’s EU membership talks until 2028. On the night of November 30, riot police dispersed protesters in front of the Georgian parliament.
