As rally & concert continue on Europe Square, protesters are listening to Nino Katamadze, famous Georgian musician, performing popular Georgian song Suliko. Many sing along.
#Tbilisiprotests
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
PM Kobakhidze posted an official statement saying that he was being routinely blackmailed by "high ranking foreign politicians," but was "particularly aghast" during the phone conversation with an unnamed EU Commissioner, who "listed the range of measures that western politicians
President
#Zelensky
made a statement in support of protesters in
#Tbilisi
: I would like to thank all of you, who were holding Ukrainian flags in the streets and squares of Georgia these days. I want to thank you for our national anthem, which was played in Tbilisi. 1/4
Tbilisi last night: cheerful protesters walking in the pouring rain, singing "Zhuzhuna Tsvima," the popular Georgian rain song.
#TbilisiProtests
📹 Muro Takalandze
The famous three-legged black dog has become a symbol of the current
#Tbilisiprotests
, faithfully and tirelessly following the protesters no matter how far they march. Now the doggo has been spotted in the rainy Heroes' Square.
📹 Guram Muradov/Civil.ge
At 3 am protesters are still on Rustaveli avenue. The youths on barricades are chanting Sa-kart-ve- lo! (Georgia in the Georgian language)
Video: Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Photo Story| May 11 protest rally against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
that broke all records and is already assessed by many to be unprecedented in its size in the history of
#Georgia
.
People start to gather for the third day of protests. Two demands: release the detained; vote down the bill which was passed in first reading.
#NoToRussianLaw
Visiting heads of foreign committees of European legislatures addressed the crowd on Rustaveli Avenue and expressed their solidarity with those protesting against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
. Ode to Joy and Georgian anthem were played after their speeches.
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Crowds are gathering on
#Tbilisi
's Rustaveli Ave. for today's rally against
#foreignagentslaw
. More are expected to come, including from Georgian regions, after last night's violent dispersal. Police had to let the car with a generator pass after pressure from protesters.
#Tbilisi
now: People marching against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
on Rustaveli avenue in the Freedom Square direction, chanting Sa-ka-rtve-lo (
#Georgia
in Georgian language)
Protests against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
are back after yesterday's break as demonstrators again block Rustaveli Avenue near the Parliament building. Earlier today, President Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the law.
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
As Georgia prepares to mark Independence Day, newly graduated school students celebrate the "Last Bell" in front of Parliament while protesting the
#ForeignAgentsLaw
.
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Protesters are now facing the riot police from behind the makeshift barricade. The situation reached an impasse. Despite mounting violence from the police, people do not disperse. Images emerge of the river embankments, off the center, being blocked by buses and vehicles as
As country-wide opposition to the
#foreignagentslaw
grows, more people, including students, are joining daily rallies in other parts of Georgia. The video shows a protest march in Kutaisi, Imereti region, earlier today.
📹 Imereti Press
#TbilisiProtests
against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
back to usual intensity after Easter holidays. Rallies continue with youth-led marches, with protesters now marching towards the Georgian Dream headquarters. A larger rally is planned for May 11.
📹 Muro Takalandze
Protesters now marching to the parliament. There are unconfirmed reports that visiting foreign ministers of Baltic states and Iceland might address them.
#Tbilisiprotests
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has also addressed pro-Ukraine rally in Tbilisi: "You are the people upholding the dignity of Georgia today." 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺
#TbilisiProtests
against
#foreignagentslaw
continue on Rustaveli Avenue. Later tonight, many protesters plan to join the Easter Vigil at Kashveti Church opposite the parliament building.
📹 Nata Koridze/Civil.ge
Citing laws banning use of Soviet symbols in Georgia, protesters put Georgian, EU flag stickers on hammer & sickle signs featured on Galaktioni Bridge.
🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil ge
Youth protests against
#foreignagentslaw
continue. Protesters again block Rustaveli Avenue, defying police warnings earlier in the day. Claiming that the number of people at the rallies was "significantly decreasing" and citing Georgian laws, police warned of a "legal response".
Images from the side streets, where the riot police teargas and water cannons from inside the courtyard. TV and media report that mobile phone and video uplink signals are being suppressed in this area.
#NoToRussianLaw
#TbilisiProtests
Republic Square is now crowded. Speakers address the crowd and the national and European anthems are played. Later, protesters plan to march on Rustaveli Avenue.
#foreignagentslaw
Rustaveli avenue at this moment. Protesters have been informed that the 🇬🇪Parliament adopted
#ForeignAgentsLaw
in 2nd hearing. “Slaves,” protesters are chanting in address to Georgian Dream MPs
Rustaveli is packed and more are on the way moments after
#foreignagentslaw
passes second hearing. Angry protesters vow not to allow MPs to leave the parliament and plan to encircle the building amid high police presence
⚡⚡ President Zurabishvil vetoed the law on foreign influence. Full statement below;
"I have vetoed the Russian Law. By its essence, by its spirit, this is a Russian law which goes against our constitution, all European standards and is an impediment on our European path.
The
#President
of
#Georgia
calls on law enforcers “not to dare” to resort to violence, intimidation & conspiratorial repression against protesters, "green-lighted" by PM. President also calls on demonstrators not to give in to “planned” provocations.
The march is still ongoing. Protesters are heading to encircle the parliament building and create a symbolic human chain. The number of people marching is incredible
Happening ar 02:50 am local time: Protesters return to Rustaveli ave from
the Heroes’ Square, and gather near
#Parliament
building singing the hymn of
#Georgia
Video: Giorgi Mosiashvili
Youth march under the bridge blocking Mtkvari river's right bank. The march so far took the route from Parliament - Liberty Square - Justice House - Heroes Square.
#TbilisiProtests
#NoToRussianLaw
(Source: Telegram)
Protest against
#foreignagentslaw
reaches Tbilisi Opera as well. After a performance by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra today, EU flags appeared in the hall and the audience chanted "Georgia".
📹 Nata Koridze/Civil.ge
As
#TbilisiProtests
meet Easter celebrations, Georgians opposing
#foreignagentslaw
gather at the Kashveti Church on Rustaveli Avenue for a vigil. Protesters also brought and swapped red eggs and Easter cakes to honor tradition.
📹 Guram Muradov/Civil.ge
Foreign Ministers of
#Lithuania
,
#Estonia
and
#Iceland
just finished addressing protesters at Rustaveli avenue with words of support and appreciation, greeted enthusiastically by the crowd
Video, photos: Mariam Nikuradze
Riot
#police
are leaving Rustaveli Avenue after a tumultuous night marked with inexplicable police violence in the face of fully peaceful protest. Estimated tens of arrests were made. After this violent night, though, thousands of protesters are still standing. They feel they
Youth protesting against Foreign Agents law block Rustaveli Avenue in
#Tbilisi
say they will not stop rallying and demand the government's resignation.
President Salome
#Zurabishvili
says "our struggle" is no longer about the Foreign Agents Law in her statement tonight, insisting that the "longer-term struggle" is about elections that will show "Georgia is not Russia".
Today’s protest against
#ForeignAgentsLaw
culminates with youths dancing on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the Parliament with the 🇬🇪🇪🇺flags.
#NotoRussianLaw
#Tbilisi
🎥Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
🧵 draws on its archives to provide a daily recap of the events of the war. We start on August 1, 2008, amid the final stage of pre-war escalation, and will continue up to the occupation of Akhalgori Municipality by the
#Russian
troops on August 16.
Impressive scene on Rustaveli right now. The extremely large crowd came once again to express their support to Georgia's European future and protest the draft on foreign agents.
Demonstrators celebrate their fellow protester's birthday at the Georgian Dream headquarters. GD office is again heavily guarded by police
#TbilisiProtests
At 1:00 am protesters on Rustaveli avenue don’t seem to recede as night vigil is announced to meet GD MPs who are planning to push
#foreignagentslaw
at 3rd parliamentry committee hearing on morning of May 13 Video: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge
📹Russians in
#Georgia
chant "No to Occupation of Georgia" at their ongoing rally in
#Tbilisi
against
#Putin
as presidential elections are taking place in
#Russia
The protesters now march to the parliament in an organized way. Another big group of protesters headed there before. The attendance is extraordinarily big
#foreingagentslaw
#Tbilisi
Happening now in
#Tbilisi
: Heroes’ Square is getting filled with protesters coming from the Rustaveli avenue. The square is blocked.
🎥Guram Muradov/Civil.ge
More people show up as protests against
#foreignagentslaw
return to Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue, a day after the ruling party-organized counter-rally. "How can we survive here" - a song by popular band Loudspeakers, dedicated to current protests, is playing
Crowds are gathering on
#Tbilisi
's Rustaveli Avenue for another day of protests against
#Foreignagentslaw
, again blocking the road.
📹 Giorgi Kelbakiani/Civil.ge
Alongside the national flags 🇬🇪 and those of the
#EU
, several flags of the Georgian Democratic Republic (1918-1921 and then 1990-2003) make appearance at
#TbilisiProtests
#NoToRussianLaw