Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian oligarch who dominates the country’s politics from behind the scenes, emerged on April 29th for a rare public appearance. It was an ominous one. He accused the West of using Georgian NGOs and opposition parties to organise a “revolution” against his party, and promised retribution after elections this autumn. Anti-government protests, meanwhile, have been growing. After police used tear gas to break up demonstrations, shops in Tbilisi quickly sold out of gas masks and goggles as protesters girded for more.