In recent days Georgian law enforcement, under the direction of the ruling Georgian Dream party (GD), have steadily increased their use of repressive tactics to quell the popular resistance movement currently sweeping the Caucasus country. Protesters have responded by setting up a “defence group” aimed at protecting protesters from aggression by “titushky”, a colloquial term for the masked individuals that have carried out a series of attacks during the protests. 

As bne IntelliNews reported, mass street protesters in Tbilisi on the night of December 7 were marred by a series of attacks by the masked groups of “titushky” on a number of demonstrators, journalists and opposition leaders.

As reported by the victims and witnesses, regular, government-employed police officers who were on the scene at the time of the assaults did not intervene, suggesting the “titushky” assailants have been granted the right to act with impunity.

In response to these attacks, on the evening of December 8, during the 11th consecutive protest outside parliament since Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared the country would be halting its EU accession process until 2028, a group of demonstrators announced the creation of the “defence group”. 

The formation of the group was announced in a video filmed during the protest on December 8, showing a masked man speaking into a megaphone standing in front of 30 or so other young men, also wearing masks and hoods. The assumed leader of the group offered assurance that “titushky” would not be able to harm protesters.

“The people behind me do not represent any political party,” the man said, adding that the group was “ready to do the job of those who fail to protect their own people”, referring to the ordinary police forces. 

The speaker also stated that the group will “walk from street to street, ready to help, stand by your side and ensure your safety”. 

Soon after, videos appeared on social media of the men patrolling the dark side streets off Rustaveli Avenue around the parliament building, where some the “titushky” attacks on December 7 took place. 

It is expected that the group will grow as more join the fight against the “titushky” assailants, signalling that street brawls between the two sides may soon commence.

Later on during the night of December 8, protesters gathered outside the parliament building burnt an effigy of Zviad “Khareba” Kharazishvili, the notorious head of the Special Task Force of the interior ministry, who is allegedly the main orchestrator of police crackdowns on protesters and violent treatment of detainees.

Protests continued for a 12th night on December 9, as Georgians’ resolve shows no signs of slipping, and their determination to bring justice to those detained and assaulted by ruling party forces grows stronger.

Meanwhile, Kobakhidze claimed on December 9 that the protests are losing momentum and the number of people coming out to Rustaveli Avenue is dropping every night. 

Kobakhidze also questioned protesters’ reasons for being there, claiming that “in reality, the government has not stopped European integration”, despite the PM himself stating on November 28 that Georgia’s EU accession process would be halted until 2028.

Kobakhidze once again thanked the Ministry of Internal Affairs for its work in dispersing protesters, claiming that the police had acted with “higher standards than American and European [police]” in recent days, and had prevented an attempt at a Maidan-style movement in Georgia, something the PM alleges the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has been trying, and has now failed, to incite.

Opposition leaders, on the other hand, speaking at a press conference for independent media on December 8, defined the crackdown by both state law enforcement and “titushky” as “state-sponsored terrorism against its own citizens”.