Young Georgians defending their European future through creativity

Author: Tornike Koplatadze/ Editor: Anna Gumenyuk

For over 110 days, the streets of Tbilisi have been transformed into a canvas of resistance. What began as outrage over Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s shocking suspension of EU accession talks has evolved into one of the most innovative protest movements in recent European history.

Shortly after Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement, thousands of angry citizens gathered in front of the legislative body to defend their European future and their western values, such as democracy, freedom of speech and the rule of law. Rustaveli Avenue has been the epicentre of protests for more than three months, with clashes between protestors and law enforcement forces. Water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, and physical force were used against the demonstrators by the Special Tasks Department. But the continuous protests have not only been memorable for their violent clashes, but for their creative forms of protest as well.

Soon after the demonstrations began, laser inscriptions on the facade of the Parliament building became an integral part of the protests. Large scale gatherings did not see any speeches by politicians or leaders, this information was shared via illuminations. These inscriptions are often encouraging and informative. Sometimes, they warn the demonstrators of the movements from law enforcement. The man behind these texts is Davit Dzidzishvili, hybrid warfare researcher, who brought his light laser projector.  

“The system is quite simple. Using a special app, we connect the projector to our phones. We use simple messages and texts. Actually a lot of phrases come from the public itself. We come up with most of them on the spot. We just want to express the feelings of the people that have gathered here, because we all share the same position on what’s going on.”

Georgia’s resistance quickly became known for its theatrical flair. Professional groups, university students, even rival football fans (FC Barcelona and Real Madrid supporters) marched side by side.

Perhaps most striking was the Georgian National Dance March, where thousands performed the traditional Khorumi war dance through Tbilisi’s streets. The image of a young dancer held high above the crowd became the movement’s unforgettable symbol — tradition becoming revolution.

When New Year’s Eve arrived, demonstrators didn’t go home to celebrate. Instead, they created a ‘Magical Protest Night’, setting up a massive table stretching hundreds of metres along Rustaveli Avenue, sharing homemade food and drinks while continuing their stand for democracy.

To combat the uninterrupted protests, fines for blocking the roads have been raised to 5,000 GEL by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Now, every time demonstrators return home from protests, they expect a call from the Ministry. Many of them have received fines on multiple occasions. One of them is Erekle Koplatadze, who works at the Parliament of Georgia. He believes that Georgian Dream broke Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution, which stipulates that, “The constitutional bodies shall take all measures within the scope of their competences to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.” He says he has been fined four times. 

“Of these, I paid only one. Two were by court decision, and two were fines sent directly from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Of course, I appealed everything, but I still had to pay the first 5,000 GEL fine,” says Erekle Koplatadze. Additionally he believes the rule of law is under threat as well. 

“In two cases, a police officer had verbally confirmed that I could walk on the road. I had evidence presented at the trial, though the judge did not take this into account,” Erekle says.

In just under three months, the number of fines imposed on demonstrators has reached two million GEL. At the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association they believe that these fines are unfairly large, especially when considering the socio-economic situation and monthly income of the Georgian population. Those foundations that were helping demonstrators pay their fines have been frozen by the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office.

Nonetheless, even in this scenario, Georgians have found alternative and creative ways to face the challenges. To gather the necessary funds for covering the fines, without the government freezing them, Erekle Koplatadze has set up a GoFundMe page.

“I am raising funds to support the protests in Georgia, who believe in Democracy and believe that Georgia should be a democratic country. As you might have read in the news, Georgians have been protesting for over 105 days now. One of the main reasons why people started protesting was Georgian Dream’s decision to suspend EU accession talks and their complete disregard for human rights, the rule of law and democracy. We have been experiencing a huge crackdown on freedom of speech and on freedom to protest since then. The majority of the protestors have been fined (most of them more than once) 5,000 GEL (€1,700) for peacefully standing in the streets,” Erekle states on his social media pages.

After more than three months, with dozens arrested and hundreds fined, the protestors refuse to back down. Their demands remain consistent: release arrested demonstrators, call new parliamentary elections, and return Georgia to its Western path.

While police officers who assault peaceful citizens face no consequences, Georgia’s youth continue bringing innovative tactics to their fight for freedom, proving that when democracy is threatened, creativity becomes resistance.