On Georgia’s Independence Day, protesters gathered near parliament and along the main avenues of Tbilisi to denounce the ruling Georgian Dream party, which critics accuse of eroding civil liberties and steering the country away from Europe, as chants of “Freedom” echoed through the streets amid renewed calls from opposition figures and civil society groups to revive a protest movement that has been ongoing for well over a year over Georgia’s stalled EU ambitions.
The demonstrations began in November 2024 after the government suspended talks on joining the European Union following disputed parliamentary elections, a move the opposition branded a “betrayal” of the country’s pro‑European aspirations. Since then, rallies in Tbilisi have repeatedly drawn students, NGO activists and members of the Georgian diaspora, who wave EU and Georgian flags side by side and carry placards reading “No Europe, no future”.
