Euromaidan Solidarity Rally, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2013
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso has just published a few of my photographs of this week’s Ukraine Euromaidan solidarity action held outside the old parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Karalashvili set up a Facebook event to organise daily gatherings. Over 16,000 people were invited, but 2,014 said they would attend. Actual gatherings were far smaller, of course, but were definitely diverse. Ivanna Melay, a Ukrainian singer and TV anchor was also among those who participated, as were two Polish MPs.
“I attended the protests for a simple reason,” said one Georgian at the event, 28-year-old Giorgi Tabagari. “I wanted to somehow express my support of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine and Georgia face the same threat, and many are here because they don’t want similar developments in Georgia.”
“We will stand with the Ukrainians as long as is necessary and depending on how events develop there,” says Karalashvili. “It is important that they don’t feel abandoned. They are facing a very dark force that is threatening to destroy all hopes for building a free, joyful, and decent life.”
The photos with introductory text in English are here, and in Italian here.