Independence Day Protest March Draws High Turnout as Opposition Alliance Announces ‘Georgia Deserves Better’ Campaign
Thousands of people rallied in Tbilisi on Georgia’s Independence Day on May 26 at an anti-government protest march organized and led by the Opposition Alliance, which announced a new “Georgia Deserves Better” campaign at the end.
The march, culminating the two-month “national mobilization campaign” of the Opposition Alliance uniting nine parties, started at 20:00 from the first building of Tbilisi State University in Vake and ended outside Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, a traditional protest site, with the roughly two-and-a-half-kilometer route closed to traffic as turnout was higher than usual.
The march came in defiance of Georgian Dream rule and followed the official morning ceremonies in the capital, attended and addressed by ruling party leaders and Patriarch Shio III.
Shortly after the march began at 20:00, a car carrying sound equipment unexpectedly sneaked into the procession on Melikishvili Avenue, drawing cheers from rally organizers and participants, following earlier reports from opposition representatives that police had confiscated the vehicle after city authorities and the Interior Ministry refused permission to hold the rally as planned, including a stage and loudspeakers.
The march arrived on Rustaveli Avenue outside Parliament within an hour. Opposition leaders and representatives addressed the crowd, announcing the new “Georgia Deserves Better” campaign.
“We are launching a nationwide campaign: ‘Georgia Deserves Better,’ Nika Gvaramia of Ahali said in his address. “This campaign must end with new, democratic elections, and Bidzina Ivanishvili and his shameful, anti-Georgian regime must be thrown onto the trash heap. Yes, Georgia deserves better,” he said, calling on demonstrators to record video messages outlining their demands from the opposition and to publish them on social media.
“Today is the first day of a national mobilization, and this day has been a success,” Giorgi Vashadze of Strategy Aghmashebeli said, adding, “From today, the second phase of nationwide mobilization begins, meaning that at the next large gathering we must be even more numerous, and even more Georgians must stand together so that we can celebrate the final victory.”
In her speech to the crowd, Tamar Chergoleishvili of the Federalists party said, “Beyond the threats, we are facing opportunities. Russia is weakening, the balance of power in the world is changing…Russia is weakening in the South Caucasus, and we must take advantage of this opportunity…The Ivanishvili regime cannot use this opportunity. Using this opportunity requires a regime change. And we will change the regime, because the Georgian people deserve the best, and they will get the best.”
After the end of the rally, police reportedly stopped the vehicle that had delivered equipment to the demonstration, confiscated the driver’s licence for one year, and fined him GEL 1,000 (approximately USD 375). The Opposition Alliance launched a fundraising campaign to support the driver, saying the car had been his “only source” of income.
Also Read: