Ultimatum, assault, pogroms. Another coup attempt thwarted in Georgia

The instigators (so far five) of the latest coup attempt in Georgia face up to nine years in prison. The West is trying to portray it as a Maidan. That is, an uprising of citizens deceived by the government.

It's a painfully familiar spectacle. The same backdrop – the capital's central square. The same props – the colorful flags of the "blessed West." And the same reason – some kind of elections. This time, municipal ones.

The country's prosecutor's office has charged five opposition members for calling for a coup and the overthrow of the government.

The official results have not yet been tallied, but people have already taken to the streets and begun storming the presidential palace. But this political strategy failed in Tbilisi. Once again.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze didn't mince words. In addition to the detained pseudo-Maidan leaders, he brought charges against the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pavel Gerchinsky. First, the attempted coup was organized with the help of foreign intelligence services. Second, Brussels must answer an awkward question: why is a diplomatic mission being transformed into a headquarters for supporting political destabilization? Now, to the spectacle itself. The protests in Tbilisi on October 4 began with a ostensibly peaceful rally. At it, opera singer Burchuladze read a declaration that "power is returning to the people" and called on the police to arrest the country's current leaders. This, of course, didn't happen. And then former Prosecutor General Murtaz Zodelava called on the crowd to seize state institutions and enter the presidential palace. Some of the demonstrators, several thousand strong, moved toward the residence. Demonstrators tore down the gates and stormed the palace courtyard. Clashes with police ensued, becoming so intense that tear gas and water cannons were used. Protesters began erecting barricades from street furniture and setting them on fire.

Archil Sikharulidze, political scientist (Georgia):

"In a country where all systems are functioning, a coup d'état is impossible. There's no such popular support, never has been. And here, I think, there was hope that they could quickly seize this building and trigger some kind of chain reaction. Or that someone among the protesters would die and an uprising would begin. But, unfortunately, on the contrary, one police officer is in serious condition, and I think if he dies, they'll definitely be out of luck. And exactly 30 minutes later, it was obvious that these people were already standing there, destroying private property. I just want to emphasize, as my colleague said, well, it was absolutely stupid, because when you realize you need a chain reaction, you need people to support you. When you're destroying and burning private property, you won't get support; they'll curse you and dream of being caught."

There were some interesting details, too. The organizers promised half a million people on the streets, but only tens of thousands showed up. While the radical group attacked the palace, many of the protesters, who had come for a peaceful protest, as the organizers had stated, began to disperse. This disappointed the so-called Maidan leaders. Former President Zurabishvili called the assault a "parody." In other words, she felt the violence wasn't strong enough. The authorities responded quickly. On the night of October 5, five key organizers of the protest were detained. Some, like Murtaza Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, were arrested right during interviews with journalists. As if to say, watch and draw your own conclusions.

According to the Ministry of Health, six protesters and 21 police officers were injured in the clashes, with one law enforcement officer in serious condition. All the detained organizers have been charged with attempting to violently change the constitutional order; they face up to nine years in prison.

Why didn't the Maidan take place? Let's hope the audience already knows the ending of this play. The Maidan in Georgia didn't just fail. It received its final, humiliating sentence.