Opposition Alliance Says May 26 Rally Will Go Ahead Despite Rejections From City Hall and Interior Ministry
By Messenger Staff
Monday, May 25, 2026
Opposition Alliance leader Nika Gvaramia said the planned May 26 rally in Tbilisi will proceed despite back-to-back rejections from Tbilisi City Hall and the Interior Ministry, which he said amounted to a de facto ban on protest.
Gvaramia said the Interior Ministry's refusal included a question about why he had not submitted the application in person, which he dismissed as "completely surprising" alongside "many other stupid things." He said the rejections made one thing clear: "Protests are prohibited in this country, without exaggeration, they are prohibited." He added that the rally would go ahead regardless, and that the government's responses would be challenged in a fair court. "'Do whatever you want at home' will not work. The rally will take place as the Constitution tells us," he wrote on Facebook.
Tbilisi City Hall refused the Alliance's request to place structures, including a stage, near parliament, saying official Independence Day events planned across Tbilisi on May 26 had required changes to traffic patterns, and that placing such structures near parliament was therefore "impermissible."
The Interior Ministry cited separate procedural grounds, saying the application missed the legal submission deadline and failed to include the purpose of the gathering, its end time, the estimated number of participants, and the form of emergency medical assistance to be provided. The ministry said it was therefore unable to carry out the measures required under Georgia's Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations.
