On October 5, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, addressed the public. Responding to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ statement classifying all gatherings and assemblies as an “attempt to overthrow the government,” she called on people to protect the Rustaveli protest and continue the peaceful demonstrations.
According to Zourabichvili, a “Russian special psychological operation” was carried out on October 4, but the public did not fall for it, and the majority remained at Rustaveli in the framework of peaceful protest. She emphasized that the main goal of the regime is to discredit and ban the protest.
In a video address, Zourabichvili stated that lessons must be learned from the events of October 4. She also spoke about local elections and the revival of protest.
“First of all, we need to recognize that the regime failed in the elections. People did not go to vote because, as some have said, the Georgian people are wise. When you expect a rigged parliamentary election to be corrected and a new parliamentary election to be scheduled, you cannot accept a local farce. Our citizens understood this well, and those who were not forced or otherwise interested simply did not participate,” Zourabichvili said.
She added that the protest has revived, “as a protest against these local elections.”
“Around 70,000 to 80,000 people came out – which Irakli Kobakhidze found a small number – and even more will come. The third factor was that a Russian special operation failed. This was a real Russian special operation, a long-prepared psychological operation, based on many different components… It played on the despair and fatigue that may have built up among the protesters, setting a kind of trap: the storming of the Presidential Palace. This trap was also about me because it directly undermines the president’s legitimacy – the legitimacy that truly remains and is recognized by the people,” she said.
Despite this, Zourabichvili emphasized that the protest remained peaceful.
“Any dictatorship is powerless in the face of such peaceful protest. Its only response is force and violent methods. When you remain peaceful, it can no longer present itself as a legitimate force with a claim to change you or provoke you into other actions,” she said.
She said that yesterday, the people stood calmly and steadfastly at Rustaveli Avenue.
“Yes, Kobakhidze tried to say that everyone there was responsible for violent acts. That is nonsense. Everyone stood very peacefully, and there is abundant footage to prove it. I have never seen such conscious, disciplined people. Seeing this, the regime today, more than ever, wants to crush the Rustaveli protest. That is why, today more than ever, it is necessary for all of us to go to Rustaveli together. Rustaveli must be protected. The protest has lasted over 300 days, during which we have defended the Constitution, the European future, and the specific articles of the Constitution that reflect this European future. We will not engage in any unconstitutional actions. We cannot be deceived or forced into another regime. We are a peaceful protest, and Rustaveli is the guarantee that this regime will eventually collapse; that external isolation will continue; that we trust each other; and that the day will come for real elections, where we will truly make our choice,” Zourabichvili said.
She called on the public to go to Rustaveli today and continue the peaceful protest.
On October 5, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement warning that any assembly held today or in the coming days would be considered a continuation of yesterday’s attempted “overthrow of the government” and that appropriate measures would be taken.
