Labour Party Plans New Rally for Nov 7

The Georgian opposition Labour Party requested the City Hall of Tbilisi to permit a street rally nearby the parliament building, on October 10, according to party representative, Kakha Dzagania. The Tbilisi Mayor's Office has been officially informed that the protest is to be held on November 7 in the area.

The party has stated that supposedly thousands of Georgian will take part in the demonstration. However, the party leadership has one more time appealed to Georgian society to participate in the rally and demand the change of the current president of Georgia.

“The format of the rally will be free and all opposition parties will be able to participate in it, if they wish,"party head, Shalva Natelashvili, said.

The date of the protest was not chosen accidentally. As a representative of the Labour Party, Nestan Kirtadze told The Messenger, it is the day when all Georgians no matter if they are politicians or not should stand together, “as on November 7, 2007, the current leadership of the state raided the free media, violated the rights of Georgian people, physically insulted peaceful citizens and violated democratic principles."

Currently, no opposition parties have openly and definitely declared their wish to gather at the rally. There are those who have given a definite refusal and those who are waiting for a prompt from their party and then those who have simply not yet decided whether to participate or not. “We have already clearly underlined that we will take part only in those rallies which will be organized by us, it is the principle of our party and we will keep to this keep this principle,“ a representative of the New Rights, Manana Nachkebia, told The Messenger.

Nearly the same position was voiced by the parliamentary minority party the Christian–Democratic Movement: “we have already rejected the rally and we think that this way will not bring any good for the country,“ Giorgi Akhvlediani from the Movement told The Messenger.

Our Georgia–Free Democrats have not yet decided what to say about the rally. “We do not know their suggestions yet, what they plan concretely, thus, I can’t answer now,“ Irakli Chikovani, from the party told us. A decision has still not been made by the National Forum either. The People's Party is also undecided: ”we have not talked to the Labour Party and we have not made any decision. Only after we meet each other, will we voice what we will do," Koba Davitashvili, the party's leader, told The Messenger.