Solidarity, Resourcefulness And Cake Fuel Georgia Demos

As protestors clashed with police in yet another night of pro-EU demonstrations on the streets of Georgia's capital, the pungent odour of tear gas mixed with an unexpected smell of caramel cake

Tbilisi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Dec, 2024) As protestors clashed with police in yet another night of pro-EU demonstrations on the streets of Georgia's capital, the pungent odour of tear gas mixed with an unexpected smell of caramel cake.

Just a stone's throw from the police crackdown, Levan Kamkamidze, a smiling 25-year-old, was helping protestors refuel by handing out slices of homemade cake covered in thick buttercream icing.

"My mom gave me cakes and told me: 'Go, there are children, there are people who are maybe hungry, who need energy to fight'," Kamkamidze, a small-business owner, told AFP.

Georgia has been rocked by five straight nights of protests in Tbilisi and other cities since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced last Thursday that his government would shelve talks on joining the European Union until 2028.

Demonstrators accuse the PM and the ruling Georgian Dream party of steering the ex-Soviet country back into Russia's orbit.

Clashes have left dozens injured as police have fired tear gas and water cannon at protestors, who shoot fireworks at the police in turn.

"We are supporting our future right now," said Kamkamidze.

What especially outraged him, he said, was the idea of a rapprochement with Russia, which won a brief but brutal war with Georgia in 2008 and now has de facto control over 20 percent of its territory.

In Georgia, "we have our culture, we have our wine, we have everything we want", he said.

"The only thing we don't have is peace", added Kamkamidze, who speaks fluent Russian.

"You have to know the language of your enemy," he said with a wink.

- Sandwiches and fireworks -

Georgians are no strangers to protests, which have erupted frequently in recent months.

A controversial law governing "foreign influence", which was criticised as stifling democracy, drew massive demonstrations earlier this year. Then, the political scene descended into chaos when Georgian Dream claimed victory in October elections that the opposition says were stolen.

With do-it-yourself resourcefulness and seemingly irrepressible community spirit, protestors have put the logistical pieces in place for a long fight.

Volunteers can be seen handing out sandwiches and water in the crowds -- and sometimes also fireworks to launch at police.

Liza Sardalishvili, an 18-year-old student, was distributing saline solution for people to rinse the sting of tear gas from their eyes.

"We know how to act, how to help each other," she told AFP, adding that she is part of a Facebook group that mobilises tens of thousands of activists.

The raven-haired young woman also pointed a green laser light at police officers' eyes, trying to disrupt their aim as they fired rubber bullets at protestors.

Others have stood directly in front of the police's water cannon to protect fellow demonstrators. Some perform a taunting dance, while others direct less polite gestures at officers.

On Tuesday, Kobakhidze accused opposition groups of having "orchestrated violence" at the protests, threatening to punish rival parties and NGOs.

- Spur-of-the moment trip -

Astamur Jikhashvili, a 33-year-old Georgian working as a customer service officer in Munich, Germany, said he decided to fly home to join the protests after seeing police brutally beat a demonstrator on tv.

"I saw it and I just decided to buy the tickets because I couldn't just sit there, somewhere abroad," he said.

He surprised himself with his spur-of-the-moment decision, he said, but he wanted to be bck home, even if he could only come for two-and-a-half days.

"I thought that I just don't have this moral right to say to people to go outside and protest when I'm sitting at home in Munich," he said.

After seeing other protestors handing out food and drinks, he decided to do the same, buying five large bottles of saline solution, he said.

But the crowds were already so well-supplied that "no one wanted it", he told AFP.

"Everyone is too organised," he laughed.