Tbilisi mayor dismisses BBC claims of WWI-era chemical use at protests as “nonsense”

Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze has rejected a BBC report claiming that dangerous chemical agents were used during anti-government protests in Georgia, describing the article as “nonsense.”

“This is pure nonsense. It’s clear there is an attack on our country — if they can commit any atrocity, they will, spreading information that is completely false. I don’t even know if it’s worth responding seriously to this kind of nonsense,” Caliber.Az reports via Georgian media.

The BBC report, published early today, December 1, claims that Georgian security forces used a World War I-era chemical agent known as "camite" (or "kamit" in some translations) in water cannons to disperse anti-government protests in Tbilisi during late 2024.

The controversy has reignited debates over police tactics during the 2024 protests, which erupted after the government's announcement of pausing EU accession talks until 2028. The BBC's findings, based on interviews with nearly 350 affected protesters, whistleblowers from Georgia's riot police, and medical experts, suggest the use of an obsolete riot-control agent that caused prolonged symptoms like burning sensations, coughing, shortness of breath, and skin irritation—effects inconsistent with standard tear gas.

By Khagan Isayev