British MP James MacCleary Vows Support for Democracy in Georgia and Beyond
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
British Member of Parliament James MacCleary has pledged solidarity with pro-democracy movements in Georgia, the Western Balkans, Hong Kong, and Ukraine, warning that authoritarianism advances when democratic forces hesitate.
"Authoritarianism spreads when democracy grows timid. We, liberal democrats, will not be timid. We will stand with the people of Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, with the Hong Kong's exiles, with the heroic defenders of Ukraine," MacCleary said in a speech addressing challenges to democratic values worldwide.
He stressed the importance of resisting those who undermine democracy both at home and abroad. "It has never been more important for us as British parliamentarians to stand against those who would erode and diminish our hard-fought democratic freedoms, both here [in Britain] and abroad," he said.
Turning to Georgia, MacCleary highlighted what he called alarming setbacks. "Last November, the Georgian government suspended European Union accession talks, a choice that outraged a nation where polls consistently show overwhelming support for European integration," he noted. He recalled recent protests on Rustaveli Avenue, where demonstrators "braved batons and water cannons to say that 'our future is ours.'"
MacCleary criticized the Georgian Dream government for arresting opposition figures. "Over the summer, the Georgian Dream government started arresting opposition leaders. Just a few weeks ago, I was informed that my friend and leading opposition leader, Giorgi Vashadze, had been arrested. And just yesterday, another leading opposition [figure], Elene Khoshtaria, was arrested. The heinous crime of which she is accused? Damage to the Tbilisi mayoral election posters," he said.
The MP framed these developments as part of a broader global struggle. "Democracy is not merely a ballot box. It is a citizen in Tbilisi protesting without fear. It is a journalist in Belgrade exposing corruption without a midnight knock at the doors. It is a student in Hong Kong refusing to be silenced by Beijing. It is a citizen of Ukraine voting for the future under Russian fire," he said.
MacCleary closed by urging persistence in defending democratic rights. "How we respond to these challenges to democracy defines us, as much as it defines the countries that are seeing their rights diminished," he said.
