"Home, to Europe" - large-scale rally to be held in Tbilisi in support of country's pro-EU course
Pro-European rally in Tbilisi
On June 20 at 20:00 in Tbilisi, near the parliament building, a rally under the slogan “Home, to Europe” will be held, bringing together citizens who support Georgia‘s European course and who are dissatisfied with the anti-Western rhetoric and policies of the country’s authorities.
On June 24, Georgia will receive a final decision on its application for EU candidate status. The preliminary answer is known – Georgia’s chances are slim. The European Commission recommended granting the status to Ukraine and Moldova, but not to Georgia. Georgia has a long list of reforms that need to be carried out before getting the status.
Among them, the main are judicial and electoral reforms, as well as “deoligarchization” [the founder of the ruling party of Georgia is a billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who was the country’s prime minister in 2012-2013. After that, he announced that he was leaving politics. He does not hold an official position in government, but it is no secret to anyone that he is the one who de facto rules the country – JAMnews]
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The rally is organised by “Sirtskhvilia” (Shame) movement, however, many other public organizations, political parties, NGOs, experts, public figures, and journalists are in solidarity with the slogan of the action.
Many of them made video clips and wrote posts on social media calling on people to take to the streets on June 20 and show “Europe that the people of Georgia choose the European path”.
It is not yet known whether any political demands will be made during the rally, however, many politicians and experts believe that after the criticism of the EU, today’s rally should demand the resignation of the prime minister and early parliamentary elections.
In addition, on June 20, a critical part of society in Georgia also marks the third anniversary of the violent crackdown on a large-scale anti-government protest. The main demand was the reform of the electoral system, which the opposition has not been able to fully achieve to this day.
On June 20, 2019, the police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets against thousands of young people who gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building. Two people lost their eyes, more than 200 were injured.
