The civic campaign One People, One Georgia has announced a rally on June 20 to mark the seventh anniversary of the events commonly referred to as “Gavrilov Night.”

According to the organizers, participants will gather at the Tbilisi Concert Hall (Philharmonic Hall) at 7:00 p.m. on June 20 and then march to the Parliament building.

The organizers said the event will commemorate the events of June 20, 2019, which they described as one of the most significant and painful moments in Georgia’s recent history.

“Seven years have passed since June 20, 2019 - a day that left one of the deepest marks on Georgia’s modern history.

On June 20, thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest the fact that a Russian communist member of parliament had taken the chair of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. It was not only a protest against a specific incident, but also society’s response to what many saw as an insult to the country’s European future, sovereignty, and dignity.

That night, the authorities responded to their own citizens with force. Violence was used against a peaceful demonstration, hundreds of people were injured, and many suffered serious injuries, including the loss of eyesight, carrying the consequences of that night for the rest of their lives.

From that day onward, the political course that, in the organizers’ view, has increasingly moved Georgia away from European development and closer to an authoritarian model associated with Russia became particularly evident.

Unfortunately, seven years later, violence and impunity remain systemic problems. We continue to see new cases of violence against citizens, unlawful detentions, attacks on journalists, and perpetrators who avoid accountability.

For this reason, June 20 is a day of responsibility, unity, and struggle - a day when society must once again demonstrate that violence cannot be a tool of governance and that defending freedom, justice, and dignity is the responsibility of every citizen.

On June 20, our unity will be the answer to violence, fear, and injustice,” said Guram Chukhrukidze.