Refugees, teachers and street traders hold solidarity rally in Tbilisi

On the initiative of the opposition Conservative Party of Georgia and the People's Party, on October 7 in Tbilisi, in front of the Parliament of Georgia, a solidarity protest rally was held by refugees, teachers and street traders, who spoke in defence of their rights.

As stated earlier by Alexander Shalamberidze, leader of the People's Party, this action would differ from traditional protest actions because their solidarity on that day would be expressed by those refugees and teachers who "still have a roof over head and work in their posts." The participants would express their solidarity with those who remain homeless and jobless.

The action was several hundred strong. They were holding posters expressing the protesters' main demands: "Don't leave us in the street", "Stop retrenchment of teachers," "We demand to legalize street trade".

Ada Marshaniya, a former member of the Georgian Parliament and a member of the "Abkhazia" faction, addressed the audience with an initiative to create the party of refugees of Georgia. "We'll create a new party, which will represent refugees' interests. Struggle always makes sense. We don't deserve our return to Abkhazia unless we learn to stand for our rights," the "News-Georgia" quotes Ms Marshaniya as saying.