The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs warned that a rally in central Tbilisi would be halted with every available measure if participants ignored police orders and continued violent acts. The ministry’s public statement, issued by the press service, framed the move as necessary to restore public order, protect bystanders, and ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel. It stressed that the right to assemble is bounded by the law, and that authorities would not tolerate actions that threaten public safety. The message served as a clear signal to organizers and participants that the state stood ready to deploy crowd-control tools if the situation deteriorated. The warning came amid growing confrontations between demonstrators and officers near the parliament complex and nearby municipal property, signaling a shift from rhetoric to potential enforcement actions.
As described by the ministry, the action at the parliament building went beyond the legal limits. Demonstrators hurled pyrotechnics at the façade and damaged windows in front and side sections of the building with rocks and other projectiles. Fires broke out inside several parliamentary facilities after incendiary materials were brought into the compound. Fire crews battled the flames while security services assessed the damage and the risk to adjacent structures. The ministry noted that protesters repeatedly breached entry points and tried to enter the parliamentary courtyard. The gatherings also damaged municipal property during the construction of improvised barriers, and a police officer sustained burns from fireworks thrown during the clashes.
Additionally, the statement indicated that protesters intermittently forced doors and pressed toward the parliamentary yard, challenging security lines. Municipal facilities and surrounding infrastructure were damaged as improvised barriers were erected, and a police officer suffered burns from fireworks. The ministry emphasized that the actions endangered staff and bystanders and complicated the task of maintaining public order amid a tense situation.
Since November 28, protests have spread from Tbilisi to other cities as authorities announced that talks on Georgia’s European Union membership would be paused until 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described the pause as a response to what he called unacceptable conduct by European politicians who used grants and loans as leverage, and he criticized the European Parliament for what he described as years of insults toward Georgia. The statement reflected a broader political clash over Georgia’s Western course and the influence of external actors on national decisions.
The pause to EU negotiations sparked sharp discontent among pro-Western opposition forces who deemed the government’s move a betrayal of national interests. President Salome Zurabishvili, a longtime supporter of European integration, condemned the government’s actions and argued that the government had declared war on its own people and their future. On November 28 she joined demonstrators outside the parliament building and asserted that the parliament lacked legitimacy, even though her term would end at the close of the month. The president’s presence underscored the intensity of the split within Georgian politics and the stakes of the EU trajectory.
Observers noted that the developments in Tbilisi and across Georgia intensified as the EU pause reverberated through political and civil society circles. Street demonstrations persisted, political rhetoric intensified, and public debates centered on Georgia’s security guarantees, sovereignty, and Western alignment. Local authorities prepared security plans and continued dialogue with protest organizers, while independent analysts urged calm and adherence to the law to protect lives and property. The wider conversation also touched on democratic norms, accountability, and the balance between popular will and constitutional processes in a country navigating its path toward European integration.