Georgian Parliament Speaker: EU, project of peace, now identifying itself with violence and those who commit politically motivated crimes

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday accused the European Union of indirectly supporting politically motivated crimes by funding organisations that, according to him, provided equipment to protesters, who resisted police during violent demonstrations.

In his remarks, Papuashvili said that EU-funded groups contributed to violent incidents, including Molotov cocktail attacks and attempted arson at the Parliament building and called it a “paradox” that an organisation created as a project for peace would align itself with perpetrators of politically motivated crimes.

“Let me remind you that the acting head of ISFED admitted that his predecessor, using EU funds, provided special equipment to protest participants to resist the police. This admission slipped out publicly from the acting head, and we know today that EU funds were used to provide equipment, specifically gas masks, to protest participants for the purpose of resisting the police. I had hoped that the EU Embassy or other structures, even the spokesperson (who, it seems, knows Elene Khoshtaria so well that they refer to her only by her first name), would say they would investigate and conduct an internal enquiry, but instead, we see support”, Papuashvili said.

The Speaker also recalled that in fall 2023, it was revealed that one NGO was using American and EU funds to pay fines for protesters, a matter that still has not been addressed publicly.

“Furthermore, let me remind you that back in the fall of 2023, it was revealed that foreign funds were being used to pay fines, specifically by one NGO using American and EU funds to cover fines, and we still have not heard any explanations about this. We find ourselves in a paradox where the European Union, a project of peace, today equates itself with violence and perpetrators of politically motivated crimes”, he concluded.