Taxi drivers' protest in Tbilisi resulted in detention of one driver

On March 27, drivers held a rally at the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, demanding to cancel the taxi reform. One protester was detained on charges of disobeying the police.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 20, several hundred taxi drivers at a rally in Tbilisi demanded to cancel the order of the city Mayoralty to paint taxis white until October 1, 2019, in order to obtain category "A" licenses, which allows searching for passengers independently or through dispatcher services. The protest organizers announced new actions.

On March 27, over 200 drivers drove their taxis to a rally in Rustaveli Street. The patrol police did not allow the main column of protesters to drive along the street. Only 15 cars moving from the Freedom Square and the Rose Revolution Square manage to get into the street and met in front of the Parliament, trying to block the traffic. However, policemen arrived with a tow truck and demanded that the protesters free the roadway.

Upon learning that the motor rally was cancelled, taxi drivers left their cars in the Rose Revolution Square and came on foot to the Georgian Parliament, where the Labour Party held a rally in their support.

At the rally, taxi drivers once again voiced out their demand to the Mayoralty to cancel the order to paint cars white.

During the rally, protesters moved to the roadway, which made obstacles for traffic. The police urged them to leave the roadway, but they would not obey. As a result, there was a skirmish of drivers with policemen, during which one of protesters was detained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 27, 2019 at 09:56 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.