Oppositionists are on march from Batumi to Tbilisi

Activists of the opposition and their supporters have started their march from the city of Batumi (Adzharia, Georgia) towards Tbilisi, the capitals of Georgia. They plan to make their first stop for the night in Kutaisi.

A column of 100 cars has left Batumi in the morning. It is headed by Georgiy Gachechiladze (Utsnobi), a popular Georgian singer, supporter of the opposition and brother of one of its leaders Levan Gachechiladze.

On their way from Batumi to Tbilisi oppositionists plan to stop in cities and cross them on foot with flags and slogans "Down with Misha!"

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent met the march in a small town of Lanchkhuti in Western Georgia. Local residents applauded to oppositional activists scanning "Utsnobi" and "Down with Misha!"

In Lanchkhuti, Doctor of Philosophy Giorgiy Masalkin, one of the leaders of the "Alliance for Georgia" and a member of the National Board of the Republican Party, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the schedule way will be covered till May 25, then, activists of the opposition will spend night at bottom of the mountain of the Krestovy Monastery near the town of Mtskheta near Tbilisi.

In the morning on May 26, on the Independence Day of Georgia, some 50-60 thousand of Batumi oppositionists and sympathizing supporters will join the main march near Boris Paichadze Football Stadium in Tbilisi, where the main rally will take place.

According to Mr Masalkin, on the way to Tbilisi the column will absorb people from other cities of Western Georgia - Samegrelo, Imereti, Guriya and Racha.

Today in Tbilisi the opposition has blocked for an hour the traffic along the embankments on both banks of Kura River. In this way, the opposition protests against detentions of oppositionists' cars. On May 20, members of the opposition stated that the police confiscated 20 personal cars of its leaders and supporters.