Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker criticises support for “local Antifa prototype” in Georgia

Nino Tsilosani, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party and Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday responded to European People’s Party’s (EPP) call for sanctions, describing it as support for a coup in Georgia.

Tsilosani’s response followed the European People's Party's calls on the European Union and its member states to impose targeted sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his enablers complicit in undermining democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Georgia.

In a social media message, Tsilosani claimed that a terrorist organisation similar to Antifa was being encouraged and supported in Georgia by European bureaucrats.

She further criticised representatives of a number of partner countries for failing to comment on the October 4 coup attempt.

“Despite these terrible scenes, where we are watching a coup attempt live, unfortunately, representatives of our friendly and partner countries remain silent and do not assess this most serious event. Despite this, we hear numerous statements from a number of European Commissioners and senior representatives of the European Union, who, on the contrary, express support for this event. In parallel with the fact that in the United States they declare Antifa and similar organisations as terrorists and declare a lively fight against them, in Georgia the local, Georgian prototype of Antifa is being encouraged and supported”, Tsilosani said.

She further criticised the European People’s Party for portraying the Georgian Dream party as the perpetrator and the criminal group as the victim.

“Can you imagine, when the so-called pro-European party announced the coup d'état a few weeks ago, they were preparing for all this, a large number of explosives, weapons, and other means were mobilised for all this. On October 4, at 4 o'clock, they gathered, once again with the idea of ​​a coup d'état on the spot, set out to seize a state object of strategic importance, stormed the presidential palace, maimed dozens of police officers and miraculously one of them survived, burned everything, and against this backdrop, the EPP was able to declare the Georgian Dream as the perpetrators and this group of criminals as the victims”, the Parliament official continued.

“EPP was able to demand the sanctioning of Bidzina Ivanishvili in its statement, while it was clearly watching the attempted coup. It seems that the EPP has a different concept of people. For them, the million and a half people who went to the elections on October 4 and expressed their civic position are not people, and for them, the people are only a few dozen terrorists who are organising acts of violence on Rustaveli Avenue, and only these people deserve their support”, she continued.

Tsilosani further called the European People’s Party’s statement and actions political impudence.

“Now when everything is at hand and when everything is very clear, when it is clear who is the perpetrator and who was protecting the law, the EPP statement actually represents support for a coup in Georgia. Well, try and find such an example of political impudence in the political archives after this”, she concluded.

On October 4, large-scale protests in Tbilisi escalated into a dramatic confrontation, as a group of radical demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace. The unrest occurred on the same day Georgia held municipal elections.

Authorities detained at least five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the government - a potential offense that could carry lengthy prison sentences.

Government officials described the events as a failed coup attempt orchestrated with foreign backing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the protests “an attempted overthrow of the constitutional order”.