Kaladze Warns Opposition Over 'Peaceful Overthrow' Rhetoric, UNM Vows Rose Revolution-Style Protest
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, September 8, 2025
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said that recent opposition statements about the "peaceful overthrow" of the government are designed to provoke supporters and will be met with legal consequences if they cross the line.
"These statements are made to inflame their supporters somehow. They say a thousand nonsense," Kaladze told reporters. "I will say it very simply: if they dare to do something against the law, they will be given an appropriate response and will be punished most severely, of course, within the framework of the law."
Kaladze, who is leading Georgian Dream's campaign in the capital, added that he is focused on speaking with voters rather than engaging in opposition disputes. "The opposition itself is unclear. I don't want to talk about their confrontation at all. I am in the election campaign mode, meeting with the population, talking about the future of the city, future projects, and how important it is to maintain peace for the future of this country," he said.
United National Movement leader Ana Tsitlidze commented on Kaladze's statement, saying that Georgian Dream's "hysteria" reflects its fear of public protest on October 4.
"On October 4, you will see who will be punished and how, no matter what tone Georgian Dream takes," she told journalists. "This hysteria of Georgian Dream shows that they are very afraid of the October 4 rally and very afraid of the angry citizens of Georgia."
Tsitlidze called on Georgians to join what she described as a legitimate effort to remove the ruling party. "We call on the citizens of Georgia: on October 4, we once again have every constitutional right to peacefully overthrow this Russian regime, which has gone beyond all constitutional limits, and we must prepare for this," she said.
When asked how such an overthrow could be carried out peacefully, Tsitlidze pointed to Georgia's 2003 political transformation. "Exactly as the Rose Revolution happened - peacefully, through the unity and action of the people. That is precisely what we mean and how we see it," she stated.
