Opposition figure Popkhadze calls for strengthening Rustaveli Avenue protests

Opposition figure Gedevan Popkhadze, a member of the Coalition for Change, on Monday urged citizens to intensify ongoing protests on Rustaveli Avenue, in central Tbilisi, saying the country is facing “lawlessness, violence and a slide toward Russian-style dictatorship”.

Popkhadze said that the form of public resistance has been dictated by the ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, arguing that if not for the current “crackdown, political prisoners and unlawful actions”, Georgia would be continuing a “civilised, political and fair” struggle. Instead, he said, the Government’s actions require an adjusted and stronger form of protest.

“This protest must not stop. We must not get tired. We have no right to abandon the people targeted by this regime,” Popkhadze stated, adding that the authorities are detaining activists and pressuring those who oppose what he described as an attempt to deprive the country of its European future.

He said the fate of Georgia’s political system was now being decided on Rustaveli Avenue, calling on those who cannot stay there around the clock to at least join periodically. Popkhadze added the Government was pushing the country toward “complete isolation” to maintain power, making citizens’ active involvement essential.

“In a country where there are political prisoners and an illegitimate Government, no one should remain calm or indifferent,” he warned, adding that failing to protest would only deepen the crisis and increase tensions within society.