The Georgian protest movement entered its sixth day on December 3, with nighttime rallies gaining momentum in cities across the country and cracks widening in government structures.

The trigger for the unrest was a government decision to suspend efforts aimed at gaining the country’s admission to the European Union. The announcement angered a broad swath of Georgian society, which overwhelmingly favors EU accession.

Over the past six days, police have detained around 300 individuals, using unprecedented force against demonstrators. Nana Kurdovanidze, chair of the prominent watchdog group the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, reported that many detainees “have been tortured,” some to an extent that they required hospitalization.

While confrontations between protesters and police paralyze the streets of central Tbilisi and other cities at night, an increasing number of seasoned bureaucrats are resigning their posts from key government agencies, including the foreign and interior ministries. A statement signed by roughly 250 Foreign Ministry personnel stated that the government’s move to halt the EU accession process “does not align with the strategic interests of the country ... [and] contradicts the spirit of Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia.”

“The suspension of the accession negotiations process will lead to the country’s isolation. Without the support of our Western partners, Georgia will remain alone against the threats,” diplomats and staff of the MFA added in a statement.

Representatives of other government entities have joined the chorus of criticism of the country’s leadership, including Tbilisi municipal officials, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education, the National Bank, over 500 personnel from the Ministry of Justice’s public Service Hall, and state and private universities.

Perhaps most importantly for Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s government, signs of strain are showing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a key pillar of support for incumbent authorities. Amid the swelling protests, the chief instructor of the Interior Ministry’s Tactical Training Service has resigned, along with scattered departures among police in other departments. 

Kobakhidze has lashed out at the criticism emanating from public-sector employees, accusing government workers of having a “reading comprehension problem,” while hinting at mass firings.

The Georgian Orthodox Church hierarchy, ostensibly neutral in political matters, appeared to throw its support behind the incumbent Georgian Dream party and its billionaire backer Bidzina Ivanishvili, issuing a statement that criticized protesters for “crossing the line of legality and morality.”