Today is „Flag of Georgia“ Day. While people continue to demonstrate against the self-proclaimed government and advocate for the release of all detained protesters—particularly Mzia Amaglobeli, the recently arrested director of the media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti—they are also celebrating their flag as the ultimate symbol of their commitment to a free and European Georgia.
While the old year ended with a new but illegitimate president alongside an „old“ but legitimate one, the people in Georgia started the new year with continued protests on the streets of Tbilisi and in many other cities across Georgia, calling for new elections and the liberation of all detained protesters.
But there were also interesting write-ups about what’s going on. The student and activist Gocha Gogsadze wrote about „everything you didn’t realize you needed to know about Georgia’s protests“.
Rasa Jukneviciene, Lithuanian member of the European Parliament also serving as „Permanent Rapporteur on Georgian Affairs at the European Parliament“, drew a wider panorama providing background about Georgia and beyond, mentioning that what is happening in Georgia „… is one of the episodes in Russia’s centuries-long imperial actions and Putin’s hybrid war against democracies.“
Meanwhile, for the first time ever, local businesses have announced a three-hour strike on January 15.
„On 27 December, the U.S. Treasury Department’s main sanctions authority, the Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC), announced that it had sanctioned Bidzina Ivanishvili. It used its most far-reaching sanctions tool – the specifically designated nationals (SDN) – and most significantly, it did so under Executive Order 14024, which targets those working on behalf of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.“ Maximilian Hess, founder at Enmetena Advisory and fellow at Foreign Policy Research Institute provides a good analysis on what the sanctions against Ivanishvili mean.
„Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream Party had already made clear to the Georgian people they faced a choice between them and the West with the aforementioned suspension of Georgia’s EU accession efforts. But OFAC’s actions now mean Georgian business must also choose between their country’s dominant billionaire and the West.“
When the news arrived yesterday, it was greeted by the sound of the Star-Spangled Banner ringing out over Rustaveli Avenue.
Now, Europe, can we at least form a ‚coalition of the willing‘, bypassing Russia’s puppets, Orban and Fico, and do something similar – following the example of the Baltic States?
„What’s happening in Georgia goes beyond politics or any single issue. It’s the feeling of a nation waking up, of people standing together, not just against something, but for something.“ Nodar Rukhadze is a Human Rights activist, journalist and one of the founders of the Shame Movement in Georgia, a group „united by the goal of achieving Euro-Atlantic integration and systemic democratic reforms through non-violent activism“.
In a social media post, Rukhadze provides insight into the deeper meaning of the events unfolding in Georgia: „This isn’t just about elections or an illegitimate government. It’s about reclaiming who we are, both as a country and as individuals who refuse to be silenced.” Read his full statement here.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators once again gathered in Tbilisi, uniting in song, dance, and protest to stand up for the future of their country.
Look at these people. Look at this country.
