“On May 26, there will be very many of us, because everyone knows full well that the Ivanishvili regime must be defeated for the struggle for freedom to succeed,” declared Irakli Pavlenishvili, a member of the United National Movement.

The politician expressed his firm conviction that May 26 will see a large-scale rally.

“On May 26, our numbers will be vast. Independence cannot be exclusively celebrated by a regime that celebrated ‘Shahabasoba’ [Shah Abbas’s devastating invasions] and the mass deportation of Georgians, and even laid flowers at the tomb of Tamerlane. The commemoration of Georgian independence cannot be the exclusive preserve of this regime. This day must also be marked by us, by the people who fight for freedom, and there will be a large-scale gathering. Of that I am deeply convinced.

As for Mikheil Saakashvili’s statement, there was nothing in it that he had not said before. Yes, the struggle for our country is a necessity, and we must not retreat. That is precisely what is being said; do not go looking for a cat in a dark room. The point is that we must not retreat, we must not submit to repression, we must not submit to these Sonders, and we must fight to the end for the freedom of our country. That is what unites us around the Georgian flag. On May 26, there will be many of us, because everyone knows full well that the Ivanishvili regime must be defeated for the struggle for freedom to succeed. This day must be marked by those who fight for freedom, and that is precisely what we shall be about on May 26,” declared Pavlenishvili.