Lika Mebagishvili, President of the Dental Workers Union of Georgia, spoke to Sacha Ismail from Solidarity.
• On 16 May, Lika will speak alongside Ukrainian socialist Artem Tidva at an online meeting about the Georgian protests organised by the UK Ukraine Solidarity Campaign.
Last June, the Georgian government proposed a law on so-called “foreign agents.” Under the law, organizations that receive 20 percent of their funding from abroad will be classified as agents of a foreign power, subject to special government surveillance, and forced to hand over internal information. Those who refuse to register will face very high and exponentially increasing fines.
The law was first adopted in 2023, but it sparked mass protests, thousands took to the streets, and the legislative process was halted. The ruling Georgian Dream party announced that it would not try again.
In April of this year, however, the process was resumed, albeit with slightly different wording – “foreign agents” was replaced by “foreign influence”. The bill has gone through two hearings, with the third due to take place shortly.
The law is frighteningly similar to the law passed in Russia in 2012 – a law that has been used to suppress press freedom and crack down on civil society, effectively depriving a large number of people of their rights. The main targets are non-governmental organizations and media organizations, but also trade unions.
The people of Georgia are not prepared to tolerate this. The protests this time are much bigger – yesterday’s [Saturday 11 May] there were perhaps 200,000, in a population of less than four million. These protests are dominated by young people, but in reality a broad cross-section of society is united in the opposition.
Does the government still have a significant support base?
Yes, but I would say it is a minority, no more than a quarter. Her support is stronger among the older generation, who have more pro-Russian views. She is supported by some of the richest and most powerful people in the country.
It has organised counter-demonstrations, for example by pressuring public sector workers to take part in the demonstrations, bribing people who depend on state support, providing free transport, etc. However, these demonstrations are much smaller than ours.
What are the political goals of the Georgian Dream?
Crucially, they are highly authoritarian. Since the protests began, police have used pepper spray and water cannon to disperse them, and riot police have attacked activists, including women. The homes of democracy activists, but also public defenders, legal scholars, opposition politicians, LGBTQI activists and others have been vandalised with posters and graffiti about foreign agents.
In recent years, the party has also become more directly and openly pro-Russian.
What does the government say about the Russian occupation of parts of Georgia? [Abkhazia and South Ossetia, occupied since the 2008 Russo-Georgian war]
Officially, the government condemns the protests, but its increasingly friendly relationship with the Kremlin – and its desire to transform Georgia into a country more like Russia – shows that these are empty words. At the same time, the Russian government is supporting the Georgian government in its fight against the protests, and we hear Russian politicians saying that Georgia is finally getting on the right track.
What is the role of the EU?
Georgia recently received EU candidate status, but EU governments have made it clear that the path our government is taking is jeopardising this status. The protests are therefore also an expression of our desire for Georgia to integrate into Europe and not move towards Russia.
Membership in the EU is symbolic – for people on the street it represents freedom and the rights that society wants. Georgia has a long democratic history: we were one of the first democratic republics in Europe. We know what it is like to live under Russian control. That is why the majority of the Georgian population sees the European path as the only one and is fighting aggressively for it.
How does this relate to Ukraine?
If you look at the pictures of the demonstrations, you will see numerous people holding Ukrainian flags. Since the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, visible support for Ukraine can be seen on every street and on many buildings. These are the same people who are now protesting on the streets against the spy law.
The Georgian people are protesting for almost exactly the same things that our Ukrainian sisters and brothers protested for in 2013 and 2014: they want to say no to Russian domination and choose the European path.
Here again we see the same double-speak from the government. It officially condemns the Russian war in Ukraine, in formal terms but without any loyalty or enthusiasm, while at the same time moving closer to Russia. Much of Georgia's support for Ukraine comes from civil society – many have gone to war and many more regularly volunteer in campaigns and humanitarian aid.
I am convinced that the success of our struggle can have an impact on the struggle in Ukraine. If Russian influence weakens in the Caucasus, it will weaken elsewhere as well.
What is the position of the trade union movement in Georgia?
All independent unions have been involved in the protests from day one. Yesterday, a union representing agricultural, commercial and industrial workers, Labour, said it was preparing a mass protest strike to stop the bill and called on other unions to join in. My union, the Dental Workers' Union, will be taking part. We have also organised fundraising events to support the protest movement.
The Georgian Confederation of Trade Unions, on the other hand, has released a statement opposing the law and supporting European integration, but has not done much to support the protests. Some of its member unions have largely kept a low profile. However, there are no unions that support the government.
Yesterday, students at Tbilisi State University – the country's largest university with 12 campuses – announced a strike. They will not attend lectures until the law is withdrawn.
Is there an organized left?
I am a socialist myself, but not a member of a socialist party. The left, as opposed to liberalism, is visible at the demonstrations, has played a role in organizing the grassroots, and new left-wing groups and media platforms have been founded.
There is some discussion about the need for demands that go beyond the main demands of the protests, especially social and economic demands, but no real organized advocacy for this. I hope that can change.
Unfortunately, we don't have any socialist parties in our parliament. What we do have are liberal democratic parties, with some left-wing elements here and there. If we overthrow the government – which I think is possible – there is a risk that we will end up with a less authoritarian, more pro-European, in a sense more democratic, but also neoliberal government. However, everything is in flux and new political figures and organizations are emerging, so things are not set in stone yet.
When is the next demo?
Today! [Sunday 12 May.] This is the first night demonstration, which will last all night and all day tomorrow.
The next parliamentary session on this bill is likely to be on May 17, which is also the date the Church declared a “Family Day” following the homophobic violence against Pride protesters in 2013. I fear there will be clashes on that day because the government and its supporters do not want it to remain peaceful, unlike the protesters.
International solidarity is important. There were at least ten protests in other countries yesterday. The protesters were aware of this and really touched. Anything that shows that people elsewhere are aware of our struggle and want to show solidarity can have a real impact.
