Parliament Speaker claims UNM party “behind violent scenarios” in country

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday claimed the opposition United National Movement party, as well as “its patrons and funders from abroad” were behind “violent scenarios” in the country, after the State Security Service on Wednesday claimed unspecified groups were “trying to organise provocations” at ongoing protest rallies against the bill on transparency of foreign influence in Tbilisi.

“They are following a scenario that has been implemented in other countries, and the parallels with Ukraine are very clear. We see their eagerness when they talk about [a possible] fatality [taking place amid the protest rallies]”, Papuashvili said.

It is a fact that they resort to all kinds of [setting up of] tensions, storming and violence against the police, therefore, it is important for everyone to realise that the United National Movement party with its patrons and funders from outside the country is actually behind all this - the organisation that wants to disrupt the country and has a goal of seizing power in an undemocratic way and dragging this country into war. This is the main task that drives these forces”, he claimed.

The chief Georgian legislator further alleged the “violent processes” were “inspired by radical groups” and drew parallels with the protest wave in Ukraine in 2014.

We see direct parallels with the Maidan [events] - the wedding couple, the same photos, absolutely the same rituals. A married couple, a man playing the piano, and the various visuals they create to wrap these violent rallies”, he also alleged.

The Georgian State Security Service earlier today claimed the unspecified organisers, involving a “specific part” of Georgian volunteers fighting in Ukraine, were “actively using the methods of violent training” conducted by the Serbian-based NGO Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies and Peter Ackerman, the late American specialist on civil resistance.

It also said the alleged actions were being taken with the purpose of “so-called Maidanisation and provocation of events similar to the civil wars of the 90s in the country”, in reference to the developments in Ukraine in 2014 and conflicts in Georgia.