Protests against the construction of "Arab cities" preceded a rally outside the Georgian parliament.

A rally demanding disclosure of the details of the agreement with the UAE company took place on Rustaveli Avenue near the Eagle Hills office. Participants began collecting signatures for an online petition. Afterward, the demonstrators moved to the Georgian Parliament, where European integration supporters have been demonstrating for the 371st day in a row.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 26 and 27, protesters gathered for evening rallies near the parliament building but did not hold marches, preparing for a large-scale rally on the anniversary of the Georgian Dream party's rejection of European integration. On November 28, protesters in Tbilisi held two mass marches and, for the first time in three weeks, blocked Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament. On November 29, activists gathered outside the parliament building, but no marches took place. On November 30, protesters marched from the parliament building to Freedom Square. On December 2, the 370th day of continuous protests, protesters outside the Georgian parliament thanked the authors and participants of the BBC investigation into the use of toxic substances against demonstrators.

The protest on Rustaveli Avenue began today with a rally in front of the former Rustaveli Cinema, where the Eagle Hills office is located. The rally was held under the slogan "Reject Arab Cities."

The organizers of the protest are four associations: "Etage," "Georgian Republic," "National Accord," and "Civil Accord."

According to Levan Nishnianidze, one of the organizers of the protest and leader of the political movement "Georgian Republic," the main reason for the protest was the contract signed with the Arab company, Interpressnews reports.

We demand that the project not begin until the consent of the Georgian people is obtained.

"We have gathered with several demands. First of all, we demand the publication of the agreement, which is classified and justified by some commercial goals, although the party to the agreement is the Georgian people, and the Georgian people should know what is written in it. Therefore, we demand that the project not begin until the consent of the Georgian people is obtained. "We are simultaneously collecting signatures. We have collected several hundred signatures in a very short period of time and are continuing. We intend to continue, demanding and protesting the fact that the project is being implemented without the will of the Georgian people," said Levan Nishnianidze.

Participants at the rally announced they are creating an online petition and have begun collecting signatures demanding the project be stopped and the contract with the company be made public. "We will submit this petition in as many districts and cities as possible and inform Georgians of the dangers of this project," Publika quotes one of the rally participants as saying.

The protesters have moved to the Georgian Parliament, the publication reports.

The demands of those gathered outside the parliament building remain unchanged: call new parliamentary elections and release those detained during the protests. Demonstrators brought Georgian and EU flags, as well as banners with various messages, to the rally site. Police were mobilized in front of the parliament building and in the surrounding area, Interpressnews reports.

As a reminder, the Georgian State Security Service has launched an investigation into reports that the country's authorities used chemicals against protesters during the dispersal of anti-government rallies in Tbilisi in 2024. This information was reported in a BBC report. On the evening of December 1, the 369th day of continuous protests, protesters outside the Georgian parliament set fire to smoke bombs, claiming that protesters were poisoned last year.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.