With parliamentary elections looming in Georgia, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi on Sunday (20 October) for a pro-European rally. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, is accused of derailing Georgia from its European path. Pro-Western President Salome Zurabichvili was present at the rally, which aimed to 'demonstrate the people's will for freedom, independence and a European future'.
Many Georgian NGOs, including Georgia's European Orbit, supported the event. "Choosing unity, development and the European Union, Georgians will gather on 20 October (Sunday) and show their determination to continue on the path of EU membership," the organisers said on Facebook.
Brussels has frozen Georgia's EU accession process over the controversial 'foreign influence' law. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, warned that Georgian Dream's actions 'signal a shift towards authoritarianism'. According to recent polls, the membership bid is supported by 80 per cent of the population.
