Papuashvili Calls Ongoing Protest Movement a 'Fundamentalist Sect'
By Messenger Staff
Friday, September 25, 2026
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has described Georgia's ongoing protest movement as an "aggressive fundamentalist sect," arguing that it has abandoned its original political goals and become centered on its own survival.
The protests began in November 2024 after the Georgian Dream government announced it would suspend EU accession talks until 2028, following a disputed parliamentary election. The demonstrations have since developed into a broader anti-government movement.
Speaking during a visit to Luxembourg, Papuashvili said the "revolutionary propaganda front has been defeated" and claimed the demonstrations of 2024-2025 are no longer widely believed to have been peaceful, that people detained for violence were not innocent, and that the elections were rigged.
He also referred to a Facebook post in which he marked what he said was the protest group's 666th day of counting. According to Papuashvili, the group has developed its own symbols, rituals, leaders, "victims and martyrs," which he compared to features of a religious sect.
Papuashvili said the group has become resistant to views that challenge its worldview and avoids debate as a result. He pointed to criticism surrounding remarks by footballer Giorgi Gvelesiani about the European Union as an example, saying the reaction showed that the EU had been elevated to a "dogma" that could not be questioned.
He also recalled an offer in November 2024 by Irakli Kobakhidze and himself to hold a public television debate with representatives of the protesters. Papuashvili said the proposal did not lead to a discussion, arguing that sects avoid debate because their beliefs could be challenged.
"Therefore, this group displays all the signs of being a fundamentalist, aggressive sect," Papuashvili said, adding that its slogans, chants, insults and other confrontational actions should be viewed as part of that phenomenon.
