Protests regarding the 2008 South Ossetia war were held all over the world to both support the South Ossetian, Abkhaz and Russian peoples and to protest the Georgian attack on Tskhinvali. They were also held to to protest the Russian army's invasion into Georgia.[1]
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| Countries | Protest |
|---|---|
| Armenia | On August 9–10, 2008 Georgian university students studying in Armenia, Georgian students vacationing in Armenia and young Armenians born in Georgia staged their own rally of support for Georgia in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan[2] |
| Austria | On August 13, 2008 a group of Georgians who live in Vienna protested against Russian intervention in Georgia.[3] |
| Azerbaijan | On August 11, 2008 protest was held in front of Russian embassy in Azerbaijan against Russian invasion of Georgia.[4] |
| Belarus | On August 12, 2008 the rally of solidarity with Georgia was held by the Young Front near the Russian Embassy in Minsk, Belarus. Fifteen activists of the organization gathered near the Embassy with streamers: "Stop aggression", "Russia-Georgia: war with peacekeeping goals?" "One sixth part of land – is it not enough?" Participants of the rally managed to pass the petition to officers of the embassy. The picket lasted for about 10 minutes. Police Officers armed with machine guns arrived and broke up the rally, wringing the hands of protesters and detaining protesters Ilya Shyla, Ivan Shyla, Andrei Tychyna and Lyudvisya Atakulava. As a sign of protest, activists sat on the ground. As a result, policemen carried the activists to police cars[1] |
| Belgium | On August 12, 2008 meetings against Russian military presence in Georgia have been held in Brussels. About 200 people took part. On the same evening 300 Georgians organized a meeting in another part of Brussels, near the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU.[1] |
| Canada | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in Canada held a protest in front of the Russian consulate in Montreal.[5] On August 13, another group of Georgians held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Ottawa.[6] |
| People's Republic of China | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Beijing.[7] |
| Czech Republic | Over 50 opponents of Russian military operations in the Caucasus protested outside the Russian embassy in Prague on August 12, 2008[8] |
| Cyprus | On August 12, 2008 a group of Georgians held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Nicosia.[9] |
| Estonia | On August 12, 2008 citizens of Estonia took to the streets to support Georgia and express protest against Russia's actions in the conflict zone. According to local media, about 500 participants gathered in Tallinn on Town Hall Square.[1] |
| Finland | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in Finland held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Helsinki.[10] |
| France | On August 10, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in France held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Paris.[11] |
| Germany | On August 12, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in Germany held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin.[12] |
| Georgia | On August 12, 2008 Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis alongside presidents of Poland, Ukraine, Estonia and Lithuania arrived in Georgia and took part in the mass rally in Tbilisi, to show solidarity with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia's conflict with Russia. Godmanis, Yushchenko, Kaczynski, Ilves and Adamkus joined hands and held them aloft to cheers from the crowd of tens of thousands which was awash with the Georgian national colours of red and white as well as flags of the US, the European Union (EU), France, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine.[13]
On September 1, 2008, hundreds of thousands formed a human chain in Tbilisi and all major cities and towns of Georgia to protest the Russian military presence in the country. Georgian officials said it was the biggest protest in the ex-Soviet republic's history.[14] |
| Greece | On 12 August 2008 Georgians living in Thessaloniki, Greece protested against Russian intervention in Georgia.[15] |
| Hungary | On 16 August 2008 a few hundred people gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Budapest, to protest against Russia's military operations in Georgia.
The demonstration was organised by Fidelitas, the youth arm of the main opposition Fidesz party, and the Federation of Young Christian Democrats.[16] |
| Iceland | On August 12, 2008 in Iceland's capital Reykjavik, Lithuanians living in Iceland protested in front of the Russian embassy against the invasion of Georgia. Their spokesperson told the newspaper Fréttablaðið, "Lithuanians were in a similar position two decades ago and therefore Georgians have our complete compassion."[17][18] |
| Israel | On August 9, 2008 Georgians living in Israel protested against Russian intervention in Georgia in front of the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv.[19] |
| Italy | On August 11, 2008 Georgians living in Milan protested against Russian intervention in Georgia.[20] |
| Japan | On August 2008 Georgians living in Tokyo, protested against Russian intervention in Georgia.[21] |
| Latvia | On August 11, 2008 more than 3,000 people took part in protest march "Abandoned alone in the Caucasus" held by NGO Latvian transatlantic organization in Riga. Protesters marched from the Freedom Monument to the Russian Embassy were they laid white roses and three mockup coffins inscribed "Russia's conscience" in Latvian, English and Georgian and lit candles.[1][22] On August 13, 2008 at the Russian Embassy, seven persons kept a guard of honour organised by a student of the University of Latvia, who also organized similar protest against Georgia. Participiants of both protests were confronted by supporters of Russia.[23] People also were asked to light candles to show support to civilians of Georgia at the wall of Riga Castle during Riga city festival, which was held on 15–17 August.[24] |
| Lithuania | On August 13, 2008, a few thousand people gathered in Lithuania's capital Vilnius to protest Russia's invasion in to Georgia and to support Georgia. People were saying "Hands off Georgia!"[25] On August 11–13, 2008 people protested near Russia's General Consulate in Klaipėda, Lithuania.[26] On August 14, 2008, music festival Be2gether started in Medininkai, Lithuania, with a rally to support Georgia.[27] |
| Moldova | On August 11, 2008 members of the Christian-Democratic People's Party of Moldova held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Chişinău.[28] |
| Netherlands | On August 12, 2008 Georgians living in Netherlands protested against Russian intervention in Georgia in front of the Russian embassy in The Hague.[29] |
| Norway | On August 11, 2008 around 50 Georgians held a peaceful protest against Russia outside the Russian embassy in Oslo, Norway. They were backed up by some Azerbaijani protesters.[30] |
| Poland | On August 9, 2008 around 100 people held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Warsaw, Poland.[31] |
| Portugal | On August 13, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in Portugal held a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Lisbon.[32] |
| Romania | On August 14, 2008 about 100 people gathered for a flashmob in front of the Russian embassy in Bucharest, Romania, protesting against Russia's invasion of Georgia and in support of Georgian civilians, the event being organized by the Green Association, New Right Organisation and the Pro Democracy Association.[33] |
| Spain | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians protested in front of the Russian embassy in Madrid.[34] |
| Sweden | On August 12, 2008 a group of Georgians and Swedes protested in front of the Russian embassy in Stockholm.[35] |
| Switzerland | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians protested in front of the Russian embassy in Geneva.[36] |
| Turkey | On August 12, 2008 a group of Georgians who live and work in Turkey held a protest in Samsun against the Russian intervention in Georgia.[37] |
| Ukraine | Several protest in against the Russian intervention in Georgia where held in 2008. On August 12, in Simferopol (Crimea),[38] on August 12, August 16[39] and August 28[40] in Kiev, on August 27 in Lviv[41] and on August 13 in Zaporozhye.[42] |
| United Kingdom | On August 11, 2008 a group of Georgians protested in front of the Russian embassy in London.[43] |
| United States | On August 10, 2008, in Georgia in the United States, "More than 100 people from Eastern European Georgia, including Hawks [professional basketball] center Zaza Pachulia, gathered at Centennial Olympic Park at a peace rally", reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The demonstration was staged in front of CNN's main headquarters, which are in Atlanta, Georgia.[44][45]
On August 14, 2008 about 300 gathered at the UN headquarters and the Russian Consulate in New York City to protest against the presence of Russian forces in Georgia, chanting "Stop Russian aggression".[46] Similar protests were made by people of Georgian ancestry in other US cities, including Chicago,[47] Seattle[48] and Los Angeles.[49] |
| Countries | Protest | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Protests were held in Brussels during the visit of the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice.[50] | |
| Estonia | On 14 August 2008 the pro-Russian political advocacy group Nochnoy Dozor held a meeting in front of the Russian embassy to support Russia. Most of the supporters were people of the Russian minority.[51] | |
| Latvia | On 13 August 2008 NGO Rodina and others organized a few hundred people to gather in front of the Russian embassy in Riga in support of Russia.[52] | |
| Moldova | Pro-Russian demonstrations were held in front of the US embassy in the capital Chişinău where protesters held a banner that said "For South Ossetia. To Saakashvili and Bush - Hussein's destiny".[53] | |
| Netherlands | A group of Ossetians living in the Netherlands protested in The Hague on 12 August 2008 to support South Ossetia and against Mikheil Saakashvili[54] | |
| Russia | On 12 August 2008 the Ossetian diaspora in Moscow organised a meeting in front of the US embassy against Georgia's actions and their support from USA.[55] There have been various protests in Russia, condemning Georgia. On August 12, 2008 more than 3,000 people in Makhachkala protested against Georgian military attack into South Ossetia.[56] |
|
| Serbia | On 13 August 2008 protests were held in center of Belgrade to support Russia. Demonstrators waved Russian flags and held banners saying "We won't give Ossetia", "Stop the tyranny" and "Say no to war in Ossetia".[57] On August people came to the Russian embassy in Belgrade to sign a book of condolences for the South Ossetian victims. Russian Ambassador Aleksander Konuzin thanked people for their understanding of the situation in Georgia and stated that he is very pleased because Serbs "did not fall for a propaganda scam, that is attempting to present an aggression on the part of the Georgian army against its own citizens as a conflict between Georgia and Russia" and added that "Russians will never go to war against Georgians".[58] | |
| South Ossetia | On 21 August 2008 a concert was held in Tskhinvali to remember victims of the war. The concert was conducted by Valery Gergiev, an ethnic Ossetian, who is the head conductor the London Symphony Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestras.[59] | |
| Transnistria | Protesters also condemned Georgian actions at demonstrations held in the city of Tiraspol. Viktor Kostyrko, mayor of Tiraspol, stated that "We are assured, that owing to our help and support, and first of all from great Russia, war will be stopped".[60] | |
| Turkey | On 13 August 2008 Around 100 protesters gathered near the Georgian Consulate in Istanbul shouting slogans "Free Ossetia! Free Abkhazia!". Protesters condemned Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.[61] | |
| Ukraine | Throughout the conflict, protests were held in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa and Sevastopol.[62] |