Independence day belongs to all citizens, opposition leader Dolidze ahead of planned protest

The leader of the For the People, Anna Dolidze, has said that Georgia Independence Day belongs to all citizens, amid plans for a planned opposition demonstration in Tbilisi.

In a post on social media on Wednesday, Dolidze stressed that the national holiday should not be associated with any political figure.

“26 May belongs to everyone. It is Georgia’s Independence Day and belongs to every citizen. It does not belong to Bidzina [ruling party founder and honorary chair Ivanishvili] or Misha [former president Saakashvili] or anyone else. On 26 May, we are already in the streets celebrating independence, and of course we will celebrate it this year as well,” she wrote.

Her comments come after the Opposition Alliance announced on 31 March that it is launching a campaign of national mobilisation. The group said the initiative would culminate in a large-scale rally in Tbilisi on 26 May.