Georgia’s opposition party claims masked men attacked its office in Tbilisi

An office of the United National Movement (UNM), a Georgian opposition party, in Tbilisi was attacked by up to 100 masked men on the night of June 1, the party said in a statement.

The UNM, founded by imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, is currently the strongest opposition party in parliament and will seek to challenge the ruling Georgian Dream party in October elections.

The news comes amid heightened tensions in the country after Georgian Dream launched a controversial Law on “foreign agents”which is reminiscent of similar legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissidents.

“The attack lasted more than half an hour. Up to a hundred attackers were involved,” the party said on social media.

“The facade of the office was damaged, glass was broken, equipment was damaged.”

Explanation: What is behind the ongoing protests in Georgia?

In recent weeks, thousands of demonstrators have gathered every night in front of Georgia’s parliament to protest against the controversial foreign agent law that the ruling Georgian Dream party is trying to push through. The final vote is scheduled to take place on May 14. The law would

Chairman of the UNM, Levan Khabeishvilisaid the attackers were armed with sticks, stones and wooden spears.

Khabeishvili claimed the attackers tried to enter the building but fled after people inside resisted. No injuries were reported.

UNM accused “Ivanishvili’s regime” of the attack, citing Bidzina Ivanishvilia Georgian oligarch who is considered the de facto leader of the Georgian Dream party.

The opposition party called the attackers “Titushky,” a term for hired thugs first used for violent gangs organized by the government of Viktor Yanukovych during the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine in 2013–2014.

Georgian activists and politicians opposing the ruling party and its “foreign agent” law complained of a growing number of threats and violent incidents against them.

The Georgian Dream leadership has repeatedly denied any connection to these cases, instead accusing its opponents of a “hate campaign” against government supporters. However, several MPs and pro-government figures in the party have publicly supported the attacks against the opposition.

Anti-government protests sparked by the law’s reintroduction into parliament have also reportedly been frequently marked by violent incidents, with police accused of using rubber bullets and water cannon against demonstrators.

Commentary: The global impact of the political crisis in Georgia

As Western political leaders become increasingly preoccupied with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, they risk losing their geopolitical influence in a small but strategically important Black Sea country: Georgia. On April 29, Bidzina Ivanishvili – the …