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Georgia's leader, Irakli Kobakhidze, has unveiled a comprehensive suppression on dissent, alleging demonstrators who tried to breach the presidential palace of aiming to overthrow his government and pointing the finger at the EU for meddling in the country's internal matters.

Kobakhidze leveled these accusations just a day following protesters tried to enter the presidential building during local elections. Riot police halted their advance by using irritant spray and water cannon.

"Not a single person will avoid accountability. This encompasses political responsibility," Kobakhidze was reported to state.

Law enforcement arrested at least several protesters, including two members of the United National Movement and the opera singer turned activist Paata Burchuladze.

Domestic news outlets cited the ministry of health as saying that 21 members of the security forces and 6 protesters had been injured in clashes in the heart of the capital.

Context of the Political Crisis

The nation of Georgia has been in turmoil since the prime minister's ruling GD party claimed victory in last year's general election, which the pro-EU opposition asserts was rigged. From that point, Tbilisi's negotiations on joining the bloc have been halted.

Kobakhidze said that up to 7,000 people attended the weekend's opposition rally but their "attempt to topple the government" had been prevented despite what he called EU backing.

"A number of people have already been arrested – first and foremost the leaders of the attempted coup," he informed reporters, stating that the primary opposition group "will be barred from operating in Georgian politics."

Protest Movement Calls and Administration Response

Opposition figures had called for a "peaceful revolution" against Georgian Dream, which they allege of being pro-Russian and authoritarian. The political group has been in power since 2012.

A large crowd of protesters assembled in the center of the city, displaying Georgian and EU flags, after months of targeted operations on free press, limitations on non-governmental groups and the detention of many of critics and activists.

The prime minister blamed the European Union's representative to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of interference. "You know that specific people from overseas have publicly stated explicit backing for all this, for the announced attempt to overthrow the constitutional order," he remarked, noting that the ambassador "bears special responsibility in this situation."

"The ambassador should come out, dissociate himself and strictly condemn everything that is occurring on the streets of Tbilisi," stated Kobakhidze.

EU Response and Continuing Geopolitical Strain

In July, the European External Action Service dismissed what it termed "false information and baseless accusations" about the Union's supposed involvement in Georgia.

The pro-European factions have been organizing demonstrations since the previous autumn, when GD won a parliamentary election that its opponents say was tainted by irregularities. The ruling group has denied allegations of vote-rigging.

The country has the objective of joining the European Union enshrined in its constitution and has long been among the most pro-western of the Soviet Union's successor states. Its ties with the west have been under pressure since Moscow's military offensive of its neighbor in 2022.

Georgian Dream is controlled by its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's richest man and a former prime minister, and rejects it is pro-Moscow. It says it wants to enter the European Union while maintaining stability with Moscow.