Four months after violent storming of Georgian Presidential Palace, Parliament Speaker says Brussels remains silent

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday issued a sharp critique of the European Union today, marking exactly four months since the violent storming of the Presidential Palace.

In a social media message, Papuashvili claimed that Brussels had intentionally avoided condemning the attack, suggesting a shift in the bloc's fundamental values.

“It is unsurprising that Brussels refuses to distance itself from the incident, as just days before the assault, it expressed indirect support through its spokesperson”, the Speaker said.

He argued that this lack of response is not accidental but is, in fact, a deliberate stance.

“Today is February 4. Four months have passed since the violent storming of the Presidential Palace. During this period, one thing has become clear - Brussels will neither condemn nor distance itself from the attack on the Presidential Palace. And indeed, why should Brussels distance itself from something it had effectively endorsed a few days earlier through its own spokesperson?” he continued.

“Moreover, today we are witnessing attempts to portray the attack on the Presidential Palace - which resulted in the hospitalisation of more than twenty police officers - as merely a ‘fence incident’, carried out by an organisation involved in a fake Estonian registration scheme and generously funded from the EU budget”, he noted.

Papuashvili suggested that the current trajectory indicates Brussels is becoming increasingly detached from its founding principles.

“This is no longer a silence. This is a position. A position that clearly demonstrates that Brussels is increasingly drifting away from the values on which the European Union once stood and increasingly identifying itself with hatred, violence, and extremism. If Brussels does not radically change its course, the European Union will remain European in name only - devoid of ideas, values, and substance”, Papuashvili concluded.

On October 4, 2025, 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 five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the Government - a potential offence 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”.