Law enforcers force protesters off Tbilisi street

Policemen have forced protesters who spent the night near the university in Tbilisi to leave the roadway.

In the evening on June 12, protesters occupied the area near the building of Tbilisi State University. On the 197th day of protests, supporters of Georgia's European integration also blocked Melikishvili Street and Chavchavadze Avenue.

Around 4:30 (3:30 a.m. Moscow time), policemen demanded from the protesters who gathered near the university building to clear the roadway within 15 minutes. The protesters asked to stay there until 6:00 a.m., when the metro opens, but were not allowed, the “Tbilisi Life” Telegram channel reports.

After 15 minutes, policemen pushed the protesters off the roadway. Some of them went to Rustaveli Avenue, while others remained on the corner of Kekelidze Street, where significant police forces were concentrated. According to protesters, after they cleared the roadway, policemen demanded that they leave the sidewalk too, says another Telegram channel post.

The posts are illustrated with a series of video clips. Two of them, filmed at night, show a line of law enforcers moving towards protesters. Other videos, recorded at dawn, show policemen pushing townspeople back. No violence is visible in the footage.

The videos, filmed during daytime, show policemen occupying roadway sections in groups; and people on the sidewalk, including those holding Georgian flags.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 13, 2025 at 08:57 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.