Georgian Authorities Accuse Anti-Government Protesters of Fomenting Violence

Demonstrators accuse Georgia’s ruling party of pursuing authoritarian and pro-Russian policies.

Demonstrators participate in a rally to protest against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Dec. 4, 2024. Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Photo

Georgian officials have accused anti-government demonstrators of fomenting violence after nine days of street protests in Tbilisi, the South Caucasus nation’s capital.

According to local media reports, the interior ministry said on Dec. 6 that police had arrested five people—in Tbilisi and elsewhere—suspected of planning “violent actions.”