Protesters, Journalists Assaulted, Injured at Kaladze Campaign Office
Tensions flared again in the evening of September 8 near Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze’s campaign office. Media reports and footage show Georgian Dream supporters attacking and repeatedly punching demonstrators. Several are reported injured, including women and journalists.
The confrontations flared several times in the course of about two hours. The Interior Ministry said it has “launched an investigation into group violence.” The statement said the police officers “took all relevant measures from the start of the confrontation to cool down the tensions and prevent the further intensifying of the conflict.”
The protesters say the police officers who arrived at the scene did not prevent the assaults and made no arrests. Although protesters have already identified some attackers, none have reportedly been detained.
According to eyewitness reports, the confrontation erupted when demonstrators marching from the Public Broadcaster arrived at Kaladze’s campaign office. The protesters allege that dozens of what seemed like the ruling party militants were waiting in parked cars. Clashes reportedly erupted as demonstrators chanted slogans against the Georgian Dream. The attackers were said to have used iron batons. Some party activists who congregated at Kaladze’s campaign office also joined in, and are seen on footage shouting insults, throwing bottles, pushing metal barriers at demonstrators, and repeatedly punching some protesters.
Several journalists were among the injured. Publika reported that two of its reporters, Aleksandre Keshelashvili and Keto Mikadze, were attacked, physically assaulted, and had their phones snatched. Another online outlet, Netgazeti, reported that its journalist Ketevan Khutsishvili was obstructed from carrying out her work by a police officer, who pulled her away from the scene and verbally assaulted her. Hungarian journalist László Mézes was also injured, suffering facial bleeding and a twisted hand. Several of the injured were reportedly hospitalized.
The attackers also hurt some police officers. One video shows a man from Kaladze’s office throwing a bottle at protesters that struck a police officer in the face, another shows an assailant clashing with police in what appears to be a physical hit. Moreover, footage shows a young man with a rubber baton telling a police officer, “I am on your team,” as the officer takes the baton and puts it into a car, but does not arrest him. The same man is seen in another video repeatedly hitting a citizen with the baton. None of them were detained, fueling backlash from protesters, who note that citizens have received years-long prison terms for minor incidents with police in protest cases, while alleged GD government-backed thugs appear to enjoy impunity.
First Reaction from GD
Reacting to the incident, GD parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili wrote on his Facebook account: “Today, already for the third time, titushki* supported by the German Ambassador, chanting fascist slogans, have attacked the Tbilisi election HQ of the Georgian Dream. Supporting extremists during the election campaign from the foreign ambassador is an example of election interference and a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention [on Diplomatic Relations].”
The GD-affiliated media, including Imedi TV, have been pushing images showing demonstrators shouting insults. However, there is no physical violence seen; it is unclear who they are insulting, and it is also impossible to establish whether the footage was taken before or after they were assaulted.
Head of the judicial committee of the GD parliament, Archil Gorduladze, is also seen on Imedi TV footage, telling the editor of Publika that “externally manipulated titushki” have been assaulting the GD campaign office.
* * Titushki were mercenary agents in Ukraine who supported the Ukrainian security services during the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, often street hooligans in sports clothing. Georgian opposition protesters have used the same term to refer to the young men clad in black who assaulted them during the December 2024 protests. Recently, GD has been trying to return the term against the protesters.
Note: This story was updated on September 9 at 11:05 to add details from footage showing attacks on police.
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