UNM’s Giorgi Baramidze urges non-violent removal of Government on October 4

Giorgi Baramidze, one of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), on Wednesday called on the Georgian public to gather in the streets of major cities on October 4 instead of going to polling stations, which he described as “special operation sites” organised by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Baramidze stressed that this was not a sign of weakness but a plan for the non-violent removal of the current Government.

“The people must get rid of this Government on October 4 through non-violent means. Only [Giorgi] Gakharia, the ‘Georgian Dreamer,’ backed out of this fight [...] The rest of us remain here, led by [the former President] Mikheil Saakashvili, who returned and went to prison to save Georgia”, he said.

“None of us knows what this Russian regime will do next - who will be killed, beaten or arrested - but if we are not ready for this struggle, we cannot say we played an important role for this country”, Baramidze added.

He said that the opposition’s fight was just and that unity among Georgians would ensure victory.

“If we all fight together, we will definitely win”, Baramidze said.