Officials did not allow the opposition to hold a rally on Georgia's Independence Day.
Tbilisi City Hall and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have denied permission for the Opposition Alliance to hold a rally on May 26 to mark Georgia's Independence Day. The opposition has assured that the rally outside the parliament building will take place despite the ban.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on May 26, 2025, activists held marches in central Tbilisi to mark the 107th anniversary of Georgia's independence. Participants in one of the marches called on the authorities to release those detained during the protests.
Georgia's Independence Day is celebrated annually on May 26. On this day in 1918, Georgia's first democratic government, led by Noe Zhordania, declared the country's independence. The Georgian Democratic Republic (First Republic) lasted until March 1921, when the Bolsheviks seized power in Georgia.
Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Opposition Alliance, reported that he received a refusal from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to permit a rally planned for May 26 on Rustaveli Avenue.
We already know the main thing: protests are prohibited in this country.
He noted that activists had previously received a similar refusal from the Tbilisi City Hall. "After the City Hall, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also refused. They even offered something surprising: why didn't Gvaramia himself come?" "And a lot of other nonsense, but we already know the main thing: protest is prohibited in this country, literally prohibited," Georgia Online quoted Gvaramia as saying on May 23.
According to Gvaramia, despite the refusals of the mayor's office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the protest will take place. "The protest will take place as the Constitution dictates, and the unconstitutional responses of the unconstitutional government will be examined later and by a fair court," the publication quoted him as saying.
Earlier that day, the Opposition Alliance received a refusal from the mayor's office to allow the installation of structures for the May 26 protest. As noted in the mayor's office's response to the Alliance, official events are scheduled for that day in connection with Independence Day and traffic patterns have been changed, so the mayor's office "considers the installation of structures, including a stage, near parliament unacceptable," Interpressnews writes.
By all means They will try to create technical obstacles.
The position of city officials was criticized by Irakli Pavlenishvili, a member of the United National Movement. "They will try to create technical obstacles by any means necessary. This is their signature move, and they have done so during all major protests, but this never prevents the Georgian people from exercising their constitutional right to express their opinions and protest. Therefore, no protest can proceed otherwise. "The protest will take place," the publication quoted him as saying.
A government official threatened "retaliation" against offenders
Georgia's society will celebrate Independence Day in a manner befitting the Georgian people, stated David Matikashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules.
"Their [the opposition's] main goal is to show the West, the forces from which they receive their orders and energy, that they are still alive in the political arena and capable of achieving something. To achieve this goal, they need the people's support. [...] It is obvious that they will not be able to create any dissonance in the general mood of society. What they will show their foreign masters remains to be seen. The state is in its place. "Every offense will be answered, and society will celebrate this holiday as befits the Georgian people," the publication quoted Matikashvili as saying.
As a reminder, Georgia's Act of Independence of May 26, 1918 became the foundation of the country's new Constitution, according to historians interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" in 2018, when the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Georgian Democratic Republic was celebrated. The Red Army was the determining force in the Sovietization of Georgia, noted Vadim Mukhanov, senior researcher at the Center for Caucasus Studies at MGIMO. "The Mensheviks wanted to preserve independence, while the Bolsheviks sought the Sovietization of the country. The Bolsheviks had the stronger and more compelling position when the 11th and 9th Armies entered Georgia from both sides in 1921," he said.
Protests have been taking place in central Tbilisi since November 28, 2024, demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report entitled "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".
On May 23, the 542nd day of daily protests, a march of supporters of Georgia's European integration was dedicated to the country's approaching Independence Day. Participants carried a banner with the slogan: "Georgia's Independence is Over." They also held Georgian and European Union flags.