Children on the front line: The Georgian opposition’s dangerous game Vladimir Tskhvediani’s eyewitness report

In Georgia, the pro-Western opposition continues its attempts to carry out a coup through street actions and provocations. Every evening, crowds of increasingly aggressive "Maidanists" gather near the parliament, shooting fireworks at the police and throwing various objects. By morning, the police disperse the protests, detaining the most active participants.

According to Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the ruling party Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, at least 30% of the individuals identified at the protests in Tbilisi are foreign nationals. This further confirms that the coup attempt is not only being managed from abroad but is also being carried out with the help of foreign citizens.

Salome Zourabichvili, a foreign national by origin, is also leading the attempt to overthrow the government. Recently, she called on schoolchildren to join the protests, following the example of university students, publicly writing on social media platform X: "After universities, it is the turn of schools to express their solidarity with the protests, all over Georgia." This is nothing less than a plan to essentially sacrifice children. Apparently, such a plan was developed in advance, as organizers used social media to push parents to bring their young children to the "peaceful protests" for several days. Moreover, they coerced children into attacking law enforcement officers.

However, the protests have already ceased to be peaceful. Among the protesters, there is clearly a large number of foreign militants and provocateurs who have no regard for Georgian children. At this moment, President Salome Zourabichvili, who should be concerned with the safety of the younger generation, instead of urging parents to protect their children, calls on them to "throw them into the revolutionary inferno."

On the morning of December 3, it became clear that the state criminals (there is no other way to describe them) led by Zourabichvili had set their vile plan in motion. Groups of children, primarily from younger grades, began gathering near schools with posters, having been "agitated" by provocateurs. In Rustavi, under the incitement of "revolutionary agitators," children even blocked the highway for a time.

"Euromaidan" agitators with phones went to schools in Tbilisi, urging children not to listen to their teachers and to join the protests. In some cases, teachers and parents expelled these provocateurs from schools. But the process of "inciting child endangerment" was gaining momentum. The protests were becoming increasingly aggressive, and the use of weapons could occur at any moment.

Meanwhile, it was difficult for the police to disperse the crowd, which included children. Even tear gas could have a fatal effect on young bodies. Moreover, children could be intentionally harmed or injured by provocateurs, crushed, or trampled by the crowd. It became clear that the "European opposition," led by Zourabichvili, needed injured or even dead children to provoke international outrage against the legitimate Georgian government.

The true nature of Zourabichvili and the opposition's plans became clear to many in Georgia. On December 3, the Georgian Orthodox Church strongly condemned the current president Salome Zourabichvili's attempts to use children in protests and unrest. The press service of the Georgian Patriarchate issued an official statement, expressing deep concern over the call to involve schoolchildren and minors in the protests, describing it as extremely troubling.

"In recent days, we have witnessed how events are unfolding during the protest rallies. The situation often escalates to the point where gatherings turn into indiscriminate shootings and physical confrontations. Any statement encouraging the involvement of schoolchildren and, in general, minors in such circumstances, especially one made by the Georgian President, is extremely concerning. The President, who should be striving to neutralise polarisation and hatred among the people, in order to prevent any harm to the mental and physical health of future generations from the ongoing events, is exacerbating the situation. Additionally, there are reports of footage showing outsiders attempting to confront school administrations, infiltrating schools, disrupting the educational process, and calling on students to join the protests, which justifiably causes outrage. This is absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped immediately," the statement from the Georgian Patriarchate reads.

"Madam Salome, we hope that after schools, you won't call on kindergartens to participate in protests," also remarked the head of the Public Relations Service of the Patriarchate, Archpriest Andria Dzhagmaidze.

Meanwhile, Salome Zourabichvili's ambitions have reached their peak. As history tells us, one of the kings of Salome Zourabichvili's native France once arrogantly declared, "L'État, c'est moi" ("The state is me"). A similar statement was made by Zourabichvili on December 3rd, after the Constitutional Court of Georgia rejected the lawsuits filed by the president and 30 opposition members challenging the legitimacy of the October 26 elections.

"The Constitutional Court has judged itself and all the country’s institutions. The opportunity to return to constitutional governance through a decision from the Constitutional Court—restoring the situation that existed before the elections, which is the starting point of all these illegitimate, interconnected events—has now vanished. We are left with no legitimate institutions in the country: not the parliament, not the government elected by this parliament, and not the Constitutional Court, which has lost its essence. A number of institutions have become entirely dependent on the one-party system currently entrenched in the country… The only constitutional, legitimate institution in this country is myself, carrying a tremendous responsibility," Zourabichvili declared.

What Zourabichvili deserves in Georgia is not the "autocratic power" she seeks, but rather many years in prison, a fact even her foreign supporters understand. Asta Skaisgirytė, the senior advisor to the president of Lithuania, has already stated that "if necessary, Lithuania will grant asylum to the president of Georgia." Indeed, this French national has caused so much harm to Georgia in recent days, making so many provocative statements that undermine the foundations of Georgian statehood and threaten the safety of millions of people, that once her presidential term expires, she should not be allowed to leave Georgia. Instead, she must be immediately held accountable.

Meanwhile, the Georgian government is preventing opposition actions from escalating into an armed confrontation and civil war. On December 3, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated at a press conference that four years have passed since November 2020, and in those four years, there have been four attempts to organize a revolution and a "national Maidan" funded from abroad. Kobakhidze also expressed his willingness to engage in a public discussion regarding his statement made on November 28 about the "suspension" of negotiations for Georgia's EU membership. The corresponding statement has been published on the official government Facebook page.

"As is known to the public, we have repeatedly expressed our readiness to hold a public discussion with people who protest the statement made by our team on November 28”, the PM said. Several former and current politicians have already expressed interest in participating in such a public discussion. We invite them, along with about 10 other like-minded persons, to come to the Georgian Government Administration tomorrow to hold a public discussion in a live broadcast format," said the Prime Minister of Georgia in his statement.

Thus, the Georgian government is attempting to calm the situation by turning it into a process of peaceful dialogue and discussion. However, the organizers of the coup in Georgia are not interested in peace and stability, either in the country or in the South Caucasus region as a whole. They seek bloodshed and victims, and to achieve this, they are obsessively trying to drag even children out of schools and into the protests. There is a real danger that in the coming days, we will witness new attempts by the opposition to provoke the situation and escalate the political standoff into a bloody phase.

Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, for Caliber.Az