Georgia stands at a crossroads. The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has violated the country’s constitutional obligation for integration with the European Union and is pulling the nation closer to Moscow. Georgia is ablaze with protests nationwide, as a new generation rises to demand a pro-European future.  On Thanksgiving night, the government announced the suspension of its EU integration until 2028, sparking an unprecedented two-week crackdown. Hundreds have been beaten, hospitalized or detained in the streets. On Saturday, the government will attempt to remove Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili. She refuses to recognize the new government, which intends to install a pro-Russian president by Dec. 29.  Opposition leaders warn that after the new president’s inauguration, the government intends to declare a state of emergency, imposing martial law and curfews to crush resistance. Though unconfirmed, the claims have gained traction. Still, the Georgian people remain undeterred.  The October parliamentary elections were the flashpoint. Independent polling predicted a loss for Georgian Dream, but the results defied all logic. Reports of voter intimidation, bribery and mass fraud poured in. These elections were not just flawed — they were stolen.  When the European Parliament called for new elections, Georgia’s prime minister suspended the country’s EU integration, violating Article 78 of the constitution. This blatant betrayal of Georgia’s European aspirations galvanized a new generation, igniting a grassroots uprising across the nation.  This is not another Maidan. Whereas Ukraine’s 2013 protests created entrenched spaces in Kyiv, Georgia’s movement is dynamic and decentralized. Every night in Tbilisi, thousands of young protesters navigate the city’s labyrinthine streets, evading riot police armed with drones and chemical weapons. They rely on GPS apps like OverWatch that map police positions, encrypted communication and safehouses to outmaneuver authorities.  Riot police deploy absurd amounts of CS gas, often mixed with water cannons — a dangerous practice — against unarmed civilians. Protesters, wearing masks to avoid facial recognition, project messages onto Parliament buildings with green lasers while enduring what amounts to urban chemical warfare. Noise and light weapons purchased by the Ministry of Interior before the rigged elections now blare across the capital, but the crowd’s resolve only grows. With proactive strategies, they anticipate police positions before authorities act. Opposition figures have largely stepped aside from the leadership of this grassroots movement. A civil defense force has emerged to counter the "titushky" — plainclothes government thugs who abduct and assault protesters in the shadows. The resilience and ingenuity of Georgia’s youth are redefining civil disobedience. The Georgian Dream party came to power in 2012 on a wave of outrage over abuses by the previous administration. Ivanishvili, then hailed as a reformer, pledged to align Georgia with the EU and NATO. A decade later, his government mirrors the very tyranny it once opposed.  Riot police use tear gas and batons to terrorize protesters, who respond with symbolic acts of defiance, wielding fireworks and lasers. Unarmed demonstrators are dragged from taxis, beaten in metro stations, searched and imprisoned. Hundreds of young people have been arrested, receiving absurd sentences. The courts offer no recourse — they have been bought, their independence erased. Spring’s protests against a Russian-inspired “foreign agents” law prepared an entire generation for this moment. The passage of an anti-gay and anti-transgender law in October only fueled their anger. These young activists have transformed hard-learned lessons into a movement that adapts to government repression, growing stronger with each passing day.  President Zourabichvili, initially aligned with Georgian Dream, has become an unlikely revolutionary. The courageous defiance of Georgia’s first female president has resonated with European leaders and led to a sideline meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. During this encounter, she discussed the alleged stolen elections and alarming repressions against the Georgian people, emphasizing the need for a strong United States.   On the first day of this two-week movement, in a moment symbolizing the battle for Georgia’s future, the president confronted her own riot police, demanding, “Do you serve Georgia or Russia?” If the government moves to forcibly remove her on Saturday, as they have done with other opposition leaders, it could ignite a catastrophic tipping point, with protesters poised to surround her residence.  Roughly 30,000 Georgian soldiers served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Georgia deployed three times more troops to Afghanistan per capita than any other nation. Overall, it was the fourth-largest contributor to the mission. Georgia, a country of 3.75 million people, suffered more casualties per capita than any coalition member except Denmark.   These sacrifices, made for shared democratic ideals, are a testament to Georgia’s value as an ally. Yet today, the Georgian people stand alone, breathing tear gas on cold Byzantine streets, in their fight for democracy. What America does next is a measure of its honor.  Ivanishvili will eventually step down (it’s a matter of money) but only if someone brokers a deal to protect him — not from Georgians, but from Russia.  The Biden and incoming Trump administrations must act quickly to negotiate such a deal. Delay will only bring more bloodshed.  The Georgian Dream government has lost its mandate, and the people will not relent until it is removed. High-level resignations have escalated, including ambassadors and officials from the Ministry of the Interior. Fed up with government-induced violence and relentless disinformation, even top hosts from pro-government television channels are defecting. Swaths of Georgian companies are also openly condemning the government’s actions.  Georgia’s president must be protected from her own government. The U.S. has suspended its Strategic Partnership with Georgia, but it’s not enough. Western inaction emboldens Ivanishvili’s regime and strengthens Moscow’s influence.  Bidzina Ivanishvili must step down — not just for Georgia, but for the very values he once claimed to champion, the same values that brought him to power. The choice is his: resign or fall.   Will Cathcart is an American journalist, producer and war correspondent based in Tbilisi for 16 years.