Georgian Parliament Speaker: EU Commission’s statement equates to ‘shared responsibility’ for October 4 possible incidents

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday warned that if any acts of violence occur during the opposition rally scheduled for October 4 - even “a single stone thrown, an insult, or an attack on police officers, citizens, or property” - responsibility would be shared by the European Commission following its recent statement.

“The Georgian public should not witness what happened in December, when police officers lost eyesight, dozens of officers were injured, the Parliament building was damaged, and several rooms were burned. We saw what was essentially a staged virtual war on Rustaveli Avenue, when police cars were set on fire with explosive fireworks”, the Speaker said in reference to violent rallies orchestrated by the domestic radical opposition activists.

Papuashvili further noted that anyone expressing solidarity with violent groups was complicit in violence.

He added that the European Commission’s spokesperson had expressed solidarity with the protest announced by the opposition United National Movement party, scheduled for October 4.

“Yesterday we heard from a European Commission spokesperson that they were expressing solidarity with the rally announced by the United National Movement for October 4. If there are one, two, or seven violent incidents, responsibility for each one, after yesterday’s statement, will also be shared by the European Commission and, accordingly, its representative, the EU Ambassador. Now it is up to them to step forward and distance themselves”, he concluded.

Papuashvili's comments followed a statement from Anitta Hipper, spokesperson for the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who responded to a question from the domestic opposition-leaning TV channel Formula. Hipper said: “We express solidarity with the Georgian people who courageously and peacefully take to the streets to demonstrate for European values, democracy, and freedom of speech. The European Union supports democracy and prosperity. Our message to the Georgian authorities is to allow demonstrations, not to fear the pluralism of free citizens who want their voices to be heard”.