The capital Tbilisi of Georgia (Georgia) was engulfed in the hands of spicy smoke and vests on the night of October 4, the chaotic scene marked the most serious wave of instability in Georgia since the end of last year.
According to local media, the crowd of protests broke the fence of the presidential palace, climbed over the wall, and collided fiercely with the police. Security forces used pepper spray, spurs and dragon fruit to disperse the crowd, while many people protested throwing hard objects and setting up temporary fences on the streets.
Earlier, local elections across Georgia took place in a tense atmosphere, with many opposition parties boycotting the vote and declaring a moderate revolution if the results were not transparent.
According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the preliminary results show that the ruling party of the Georgia Dream has a clear advantage nationwide. However, the opposition has accused of large-scale fraud, saying the government is manipulating votes to maintain power.
Video footage circulating on social media shows demonstrators waving EU, Ukrainian flags, and even the painted Georgia flag in green and yellow symbolizing support for Kiev.
As they were pushed back from the presidential palace, many extremist groups continued to attack nearby cafes and restaurants, smashing glass doors, burning tables and chairs, causing the center of Tbilisi to fall into chaos.
This riot reminded the public of the fierce wave of protests after the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, when the pro-Western faction was publicly supported by the European Union (EU) and some foreign countries. At the time, President Salome Zourabichvili - despite his impending term - still supported the protests and refused to leave office for weeks before officially resigning at the end of December.
The Georgia government has long accused foreign forces of seeking to incite a Maidan-style island like in Ukraine in 2014.
Last month, Prime Minister Kobakhidze warned: These plots are funded by foreign intelligence agencies, as if they had caused Ukraine to fall into crisis. We will not allow foreign agents to do that in Georgia.
As of dawn on October 5, police have blocked off the entire presidential palace area, while smoke and fire continue to rise from the main streets in the capital's center. There are no official figures on casualties or arrests, but witnesses said many were injured due to spite and collisions with police.
