One year has passed since June 20, 2019. Exactly one year ago, the government of the Georgian Dream allowed Russian deputies into the parliament and gave the seat of the chairman of the Georgian parliament to the communist Gavrilov, who violated the occupation law.

Exactly one year ago, this open collaborationist act was protested by thousands of people in front of the parliament, and the government punished these people for setting an example for Russia.

How the government responded to its mistake:

• So far, no cases of excessive force have been investigated, and no law enforcement officers have been punished;
• The Minister of Internal Affairs responsible for the incident has been promoted to Prime Minister;
• “Prisoners of Gavrilov” and political opponents were imprisoned on charges of “coup d’état”;
• To date, except for two, none of the injured has been granted victim status;
• Exactly one year has passed, and we still need to receive the promised proportional electoral system, neither entirely nor close to it (120/30).

We started the pre-campaign for the “Together Against Occupation” action a few weeks before June 20, 2020. The victims of “Gavrilov Night” also participated in it.

One of the main challenges was the pandemic that began a few months ago, during which no public gatherings were held. The symbolic action we announced was the first, so we had more responsibility in this context. To dispel fear among the people, the demonstration was announced and conducted in compliance with COVID regulations. Citizens were met with masks and signs with Putin’s image placed on the asphalt to ensure social distancing. Standing on these signs also had a symbolic meaning.

The rally ended with the Georgian anthem and posters saying – “See you at the elections.” With this slogan, we announced the neutral 2020 pre-election campaign.