Protesters Wrap Up June 20 Demonstration with "We'll Meet at the Elections" Signs

Civilians in Tbilisi took to the streets yesterday, marking 1 year after June 20 events. The demonstration on Rustaveli Avenue went on for about 2 hours and wrapped up with the protesters holding signs that read "We'll meet at the elections."

The main topics discussed by the speakers were the Russian occupation and the events of “Gavrilov’s Night.” One of the politicians who stood with the protesters was Giorgi Margvelashvili, the former President of Georgia. He and other politicians addressed the public who did their best to follow the keeping-two-meters-distance recommendation. Among the civilians who spoke up was Mako Gomuri, a student and a victim of the 2019 “Gavrilov Night” – a rubber bullet that hit her in the face cost her an eye.

Remembering last year’s events, Gomuri recalled the government’s argument that they prioritized “saving the Parliament from storming.”

“A question comes to my mind - what did they save by digging out our eyes? What was the problem with us standing here, protesting peacefully? There are a lot of questions unanswered and they are growing in number. However, I hope that I'll end this fight and I will be the winner, with you. I love you very much and let's remember that in Georgia we'll never tolerate the domination of a country which takes territories from us and kidnaps people", - said Gomuri during her remarks.

With the police mobilized on the site, peacefully for once, the national anthem was played and signs that read "We'll meet at the elections" were shown in the air as the demonstration wrapped up.

On June 20, 2019, protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in response to the visit of three Russian MPs to Georgia within the framework of a session of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy held at the Parliament building. What angered the Georgian people was that Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov sat in the parliamentary Speaker’s chair and spoke in Russian; for many Georgians, this was the unwelcome reminder of the Russian occupation of the country's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). 

The protesters and the police clashed as an attempt to enter the parliament building was made. Dispersed by the riot police which used tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannon, “Gavrilov’s Night” protest left 240 individuals injured, including 32 journalists and 80 law enforcers. At least two people experienced eye injuries and loss of vision due to rubber bullets. The protesters went on for three months in front of the Parliament building.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: Radio Tavisupleba