LONDON: Britain’s top diplomat David Lammy on Monday condemned “shocking” violence by Georgian authorities against pro-EU protesters and announced the UK was halting all aid to the Tbilisi government.
The “shocking scenes of violence towards protestors and journalists by the Georgian authorities are unacceptable and must stop,” the foreign secretary said in a statement.
“The UK will immediately suspend all programme support to the Georgian government, restrict defence cooperation, and limit engagement” with the authorities, Lammy added.
Thousands have taken part in daily protests across Georgia since the government said that European Union membership talks would be postponed until 2028.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement last week triggered a fresh wave of protests, which have been met with a tough police response.
Kobakhidze has labelled the protesters as opposition-controlled “violent groups” and threatened to punish “liberal fascists”.
The largely peaceful protests have shown no signs of abating, although turnout in recent days has dropped slightly.
Lammy said the UK government’s decision would remain in place “until there is a halt to this move away from European democratic norms and freedom.”
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