Tbilisi shuts the door on “revolution” Generation Z and the law

The Georgian authorities have decided to tighten penalties for violations of the rules governing rallies and street demonstrations following the failure of another “revolutionary” attempt on October 4, 2025.

On October 13, 2025, the Georgian Dream party presented a package of legislative amendments aimed at increasing administrative sanctions for breaches of established rules for mass events.

According to the draft law, which is expected to be adopted soon by the Parliament of Georgia, participation in a demonstration with a covered face, the use of tear gas or toxic substances, the use of pyrotechnics, as well as blocking roads or installing temporary structures, will be punishable by administrative arrest of up to 15 days, and up to 20 days for organisers. The storage and transportation of weapons, pyrotechnics, or “similar items” during a demonstration will be punishable by up to 60 days of arrest; failure to comply with a Ministry of Internal Affairs order to disperse a rally will also carry up to 60 days of arrest.

Repeated violations of these actions will entail criminal liability — up to one year of imprisonment, and in the case of recidivism — up to two years. In addition, a new article is proposed to be added to the Georgian Criminal Code on “repeated or systematic insulting or disobeying a police officer,” which provides for imprisonment of up to one year, and up to two years for repeated violations.

Irakli Kirtzkhalia, chairman of the parliamentary faction of the Georgian Dream party, stated that in such cases “alternative forms of punishment will not be applied.”

Thus, the Georgian authorities have decided to take the prevention of new “Maidans” and “revolutions” seriously, given the forces behind them. The chairman of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, explicitly wrote on social media that “Brussels stands behind the street wars in Tbilisi,” commenting on the events of October 4, 2025. These external forces have once again made it clear that they will not leave Georgia in peace and are ready to support a new “revolution.”

The current OSCE chair, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, on October 14, 2025, made a conspicuous appearance at an opposition rally in front of the Georgian Parliament building and recorded a video there.

“A lot of people are coming here, waving their flags of the European Union, of NATO, apparently also the Finnish flag, but most importantly, the Georgian flag. The reason is that these people are concerned about the direction that this country has been taking — taking away the basic liberties of people,  starting with the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly. Needless to say, these people deserve all of these rights, and we are here to support them,” said Elina Valtonen.

The Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chair was apparently unfazed by the fact that even in the video she recorded, “a lot of people” on Rustaveli Avenue are not visible. The opposition could not gather even a small crowd — the footage shows only scattered participants holding flags.

However, the small number of protesters should not be misleading. The actions of the Georgian opposition, aimed at another attempt at an unconstitutional change of power, continue. They are openly coordinated by EU countries, and high-ranking officials of these states make no effort to hide their blatant interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.

The Georgian authorities are forced to respond. It is no coincidence that following such an overt gesture by Elina Valtonen, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze cancelled a previously scheduled meeting with her.

“Due to participation in an illegal rally and the false statements made yesterday, the Prime Minister has cancelled the planned meeting with the Finnish Foreign Minister,” the Georgian government said in a statement.

In an interview with Channel One, Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the Finnish Foreign Minister had been tasked by the European bureaucracy to encourage a revolutionary process in Georgia that was doomed to fail from the start. According to the Prime Minister, in doing so she “sank to the level of the scandalously notorious feminist Baya Pataraia.”

“Both Baya Pataraia and this lady receive assignments. There is no difference between them. This is the most tragic thing today in the European Union — that the European bureaucracy has sunk to the level of Baya Pataraia. It is truly tragic. Whatever task they are given, they carry out. Didn’t she disgrace herself? She joined an illegal rally of 50 people. She had to lie — saying that people were gathering and that Finnish flags were waving. She spoke wonders. Her level is below Baya Pataraia, below Salome Zourabichvili. This is the real face that the European bureaucracy is showing us today. There is no other explanation. They know perfectly well what is happening, but they are given an assignment and must carry it out,” emphasised Kobakhidze.

Unfortunately, the ongoing wave of state coups around the world, carried out with the help of pre-propagandised and organised crowds, gives little reason to believe that external forces will refrain from attempting to stage a similar “revolution” in Georgia.

A recent example of such a coup occurred in a former French colony — Madagascar. According to Western media, dissatisfied with corruption and everyday problems, “rebellious youth” took to the streets, were supported by the military, and forced the country’s president to flee.

Experience from other countries shows that for such “revolutions” to succeed, it is not enough to have the participation of Generation Z; participants must also feel they can act with impunity. It is precisely this factor of impunity that the ruling Georgian Dream party has sought to address by proposing changes to the legislation governing rallies and street demonstrations.

Considering the severe consequences a new “revolution” could bring to the country and its people — including Generation Z itself — the legislative initiatives of Georgian Dream appear timely and necessary.

By Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, for Caliber.Az