Citizens from the regions of Georgia have joined the gathering planned by the ruling Georgian Dream party in front of the parliament building. The mayor of Zugdidi municipality, Mamuka Tsotseria, told journalists that up to 5000 people from Zugdidi had joined the meeting planned in Tbilisi.
People from Poti also joined the GD event, closing offices and abandoning schools and departing for Tbilisi in minibuses and automobiles at 11 a.m to engage in an event to “protect national and traditional values and support the government.”
“There is speculation that some people were forced to attend today’s meetup, but this is easy to prove in October. As for the goal, we all agree that we want Europe, but, first of all, we want Europe for the well-being of our country to achieve our goals, which are Georgian goals. For this, we need to make decisions independently, and no representative of another country can determine, for example, how best to maintain peace and how to protect family values, beliefs, and traditions. We say – to Europe with dignity”, said the mayor of Poti, Beka Vacharadze.
People from Gori gathered at the Sports Palace of their hometown to leave for the capital by buses and automobiles. Citizens already came to Tbilisi from Kaspi and Khashuri.
They claim that they support the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” and say that “in no case will this draft law hinder the country’s European integration process.”
However, there have been numerous facts of bribery and intimidation reported, although the ruling party denies the reports and claims that all the people joined the rally “based on their free will”.
