Participants of the march called on the Georgian authorities to return to the path of European integration.
A march under the slogan "Strength in Unity - Strength in Europe" took place in Tbilisi on the 528th day of daily protests.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported on May 8, activists, who marched to the Georgian parliament building for the 527th consecutive day, demanded the release of political prisoners and supported the demand for medications for children with Duchenne syndrome.
The traditional Saturday protest march proceeded from the Tbilisi Philharmonic Hall towards the parliament.
The slogan of today's march is "Strength in Unity - Strength in Europe."
The marchers carried the flags of Georgia and the European Union. In addition, during the march, citizens unfurled the Georgian flag.
The protesters arrived at the government administration building, where parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have been holding an ongoing protest for over two weeks.
They joined the protest at the parliament, where citizens have been gathering for over a year to demand new parliamentary elections and the release of those detained during the protests, Interpressnews reports.
As can be seen from the video posted by photographer Mo Se on his Facebook page*, the protesters walked along the roadway and unfurled both the Georgian and EU flags, which they carried overhead. Heads.
Today, Victory Day and Europe Day were celebrated simultaneously in Tbilisi. Europe Day is a holiday of peace and unity among the countries of the European Union, celebrated on May 9 since 1950. It is associated with the Schuman Declaration, which marked the beginning of European integration and became the foundation of the future EU. In Georgia, which officially declares a course towards European integration, Europe Day has long been celebrated on a grand scale: cities were decorated with EU symbols, and concerts and public events were held jointly with European institutions. However, relations between Georgia and the EU have sharply deteriorated. This year, official events for Europe Day were held in Tbilisi without the participation of the country's top officials. The EU Delegation organized the celebration at Expo Georgia. Meanwhile, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, posted congratulations on social media, according to Novosti Georgia.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze laid wreaths at the Meliton Kantaria monument in the Veterans' Culture and Recreation Park (Kikvidze Park) in Tbilisi in memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky recalled that the European Union itself emerged as a peace project "from the ashes of World War II."
"There is no contradiction between Victory Day and Europe Day. We deeply respect all those who sacrificed their lives for this victory – that is why the European Union was created,” the publication quotes him as saying.