Georgian Dream officials have accused European officials of applying double standards in their responses to violent protests in France and Albania, arguing that the EU has condemned violence abroad while encouraging anti-government demonstrations in Georgia.
The comments come amid unrest in France, where demonstrations over rising living costs, poor school conditions, and public services escalated into clashes with police, looting, and attacks on public buildings.
In Albania, anti-government protests in Tirana have also escalated into violence, with demonstrators setting fires, attacking public buildings, and clashing with police.
The unrest has prompted Georgian Dream officials to revisit their longstanding accusations that European governments and institutions have supported attempts to overthrow Georgia’s government.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused European officials of treating protests in Georgia differently from those in France and Albania, claiming that they had encouraged demonstrators in Georgia, including those involved in violence, while urging protesters in other countries to refrain from such actions.
‘There is clearly a double standard here. Not only regarding France, but even Albania. You see that European bureaucrats are not calling on the authorities to take specific steps, but are instead urging protesters to refrain from certain actions’, Kobakhidze told journalists.
He accused European officials of portraying violent protesters in Georgia as peaceful demonstrators and described this as a ‘farce’. He added that the differing responses were politically motivated, while wishing European countries ‘peace and calm’.
Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream leader Kakha Kaladze also accused European officials of encouraging violent groups in Georgia, alleging that foreign diplomats and European prime ministers had attended demonstrations and supported the protesters.
‘Today, they are seeing in their own country the disaster they created in Georgia’, Kaladze said, referring to the unrest in France.
He condemned the violence seen in footage from France, describing it as ‘unimaginable’, and claimed that European officials had applied a double standard by strongly condemning violence at demonstrations in European cities while encouraging similar actions in Georgia.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also drew comparisons between the unrest in France and past protests in Georgia. In a Facebook post on Sunday, he wrote that events in France served as a reminder that ‘those who sow the wind in another country will reap the whirlwind in their own’, alluding to a biblical expression associated with the consequences of one’s actions. The expression was famously employed by Sir Arthur Harris, from the British Royal Air Force during World War Two.
In a separate post on Tuesday, Papuashvili cited a statement by the European Commission condemning violence in Albania, including arson, attacks on state institutions, and the destruction of public and private property.
He argued that the EU should have issued similar statements about several episodes of political unrest in Georgia since 2019, including protests in June 2019, demonstrations following the 2020 parliamentary elections, and anti-government protests in subsequent years.
Papuashvili accused Brussels of failing to condemn violence during these events and of attacking Georgia’s authorities instead. He also compared French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about protests in Georgia with his response to unrest in France, sharing an image that contrasted the two.
Source: Shalva Papuashvili
The European Commission’s statement on Albania condemned violence and called for those responsible to be held accountable through due process. It also stressed that freedom of assembly and expression are fundamental rights and that the right to protest must be protected.
In France, nationwide demonstrations on Saturday saw clashes between police and protesters in several cities. Police used tear gas, while incidents of looting, vandalism, and attacks on public buildings were reported. The demonstrations grew out of protests over school conditions and expanded to include broader grievances over the cost of living and public services.