"I'll Have Raincoats and Gas Masks with Me, Just in Case’ – a Case Study of Youth Engagement in the Protest Against the “Foreign Agents Law” in Georgia

Since the controversial draft law on Foreign Agents was reintroduced by the ruling party in March 2024, the streets of the capital of Georgia, have been filled with continuous mass protests. What began as a protest against the law quickly evolved into a movement for the defense of the country's democracy and European integration process. The new generation, often referred to as Gen Z, formed the core of these demonstrations, shaping a new ethos for the movement based on self-organization, distinctly civic values, empathy, and solidarity. The protests became a form of learning process, where young people developed new practices of solidarity that had previously been unknown in protest culture in Georgia. During police crackdowns, protesters took care of each other; provided accommodation for participants coming from different regions of Georgia; and cared for stray dogs around the protest area. We witnessed a breaking down of almost every form of social distance. A unique form of transgressive solidarity was displayed on Easter night when religious and non-religious protesters—representatives of different religions—celebrated the holiday together at the protest site.
Gen Z brought strong visual elements to the movement, characterized by spontaneous and flexible actions, as well as the distinct language typical of their generation. The slogans, memes, caricatures, TikTok quotes, references to national epics, colorful raincoats, the flags of Georgia and the European Union, and creatively stencils became the visual representation of the protest’s ethos. This presentation aims to offer a sociological analysis of the intersection between the protest, generation, and new forms of solidarity during the protests of spring 2024 in Georgia. It explores how values, as well as global and local cultural traits, were reflected in this movement and examines the role that visual and performative methods played in the engagement of young people.