Jay Kogler, Georgia Fights for a European Future (DOCO 2025)

In Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, months of ongoing protests against the Russian-leaning government "Georgian Dream" erupted in violence on the 28th of November 2024 after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that, despite their candidacy status, Georgia will no longer engage in the process of joining the European Union until at least 2028. The following week of clashes between protesters and police sparked more than 100 consecutive days of now peaceful pro-European protests around the country, that still continue today, against a government that many Georgians claim is corrupt, overly authoritarian and most importantly, pro-Russian. Protesters fought against police with fireworks, bottles, bricks and building barricades in the street, while police responded with shields, batons, tear gas, water cannons and violent arrests. Seeing Russia's imperialist ambitions today, and with their own long and ongoing history of Russian occupation, Georgians are worried about yet again being under Russian rule. They hope that joining the European Union will grant them independence and protection from their neighbours north of the Caucasus. Despite heavy fines and the potential to face years in prison, they plan to continue fighting for their European future.

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