TBILISI -- "The fight for freedom and the fight for women's rights have come together on this day," said Mariam Muzashvili, an 18-year-old protester in downtown Tbilisi on March 8, where for the second day Georgians were taking to the streets to protest a controversial "foreign agents" law.
The protesters were out in the Georgian capital all day. A march in the afternoon to mark International Women's Day began on Republic Square and then headed to the parliament, where in the evening it was joined by protesters who had come to demonstrate against the "foreign agents" law.
With tens of thousands of people gathered outside parliament, the protests had a dramatic effect. On March 9, after security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters, the ruling Georgian Dream party said it was withdrawing the controversial legislation from parliament.
The proposed legislation, which received sharp criticism in the West, would require civil society groups that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to be classified as "foreign agents." Critics of the proposed law said that it aped similar legislation in Russia that has been used to clamp down on NGOs, independent media, and opposition to the Kremlin.
The women who took to the streets on March 8 were demanding much more than the binning of the law. They are campaigning for the state to recognize women's poverty, invisible labor -- where women take on a disproportionate share of domestic work and caregiving -- and do more to prevent gender-based violence. Many of the protesters were also demanding an alimony system that will better protect the interests of children, more rights for women with disabilities, and better educational and career options for girls and women.
RFE/RL's Georgian Service spoke to women at the earlier rally and those in front of parliament about why they came out to protest and what kind of future they wanted for their country. Many were angry about the police violently breaking up the protest the night before and saw similarities with the events of April 9, 1989, when independence protests were brutally suppressed by Soviet forces, resulting in 21 deaths, 17 of them women.
Rusa Bartishvili, 32 years old
"I am a woman, I am standing in front of the parliament, and I fully understand my rights, which I may lose. I am a single mother, and I want my voice to be heard by this government and around the world. I do not want my child to live [here].... I'm angry, I'm furious because I don't want to fight to be heard. Power to women!"
Salome Dzvelaia, 33 years old
"I think that in Georgia, I have my freedom limited. I always try to express myself directly, but because I'm a woman, I'm being told not to. I don't want to have any obstacles to expressing myself and I have great hope that we'll achieve that. When I was here yesterday, I got [tear] gas poisoning.... I was choking with anger and a mixture of emotions. My mother, who also stood here, had the same emotions on April 9 [1989], when she was pregnant with me and barely survived. Sometimes she jokes that she passed it on to me, the will to stand and protest. I intend to fight till the end. Despite what happened yesterday, I'm happy today and I have great hope for the future."
Masho Shubitidze, 16 years old
"When I saw the [violent crackdown on the protests] yesterday, my mother told me that the same thing happened on April 9. I decided to come, but I was afraid that my own country would do something to me.... My mother was watching me, and I hope she is proud of me. As a 16-year-old kid, I understand that we have problems, and I am not afraid to speak out and proud to protect my homeland."
Vera Gelashvili, 76 years old
"We are elderly. One ampoule of my medicine costs 270 laris ($105), and that's what my pension goes on. It is terribly expensive, and it's sad when you can't afford sweets, for example. Insecurity -- our government does not care about us. I am so humiliated and insulted. [The government] spits on us and tells us that we're nothing, worms that need to be stomped on. So, when they tell me that white is black, I'm supposed to nod? No, I'm not nodding. I'm angry, we all are. No, no to this Russian law!"
Natalie Faghava, 19 years old
"I am full of aggression today, but in the best possible way. It's as if you have something that has built up inside you for a long time -- against women, men, the country, all kinds of injustices that are happening, and suddenly you find a lot of people who are with you standing together and that makes you stronger. I think we women don't appreciate the power we have inside. We ignore it and repress it, so we don't bother anyone, or we're too loud or too much. Silence creates problems and I think the most important thing is to find a voice. There is no other way. I feel very empowered today and I think that's the point of these rallies.... My dream is that when I grow up and have a child, we can celebrate this day of our strength.
Tasso Japaridze, 39 years old
"I generally think that now is the time of the matriarchy. These wars and violence are the result of the patriarchy. This March 8 is not yet special for me: we are going round in circles. We need to become part of Europe for this to change. Women's rights are more protected in Europe. [But it's good] that women's activism is present here today."
Olya Milorava, 42 years old
"I am an internally displaced person, and I came here to protest against the Russian law. During the hearing [of the draft law] we saw how firmly women stood together, and I loved it. (A reference to female lawmakers who were expelled from the hearing in parliament.) Women must be protected from violence; these things are happening in Georgia. Also, [we need] labor rights.... There is a danger that if we give up now, we won't be able to protect our rights [any longer]."
Ano Datiashvili, 18 years old
"I don't remember a March 8 protest so big. This march seems to be connected to April 9. When I think about that woman who was waving the flag in the street yesterday, I connected it to April 9, and I think that women have a special role in this protest. Yesterday, I was angry and very nervous. But when I woke up, I couldn't accept that this was reality. These Mother's Days and Women's Day, they mean nothing to me, because of the ugly traditions that come with them. March 8 is somehow limited to giving women flowers and stuff...but it should be established as a tradition that this is not a day of beautiful flowers but a day of raising our visibility and awareness."
Mariam Muzashvili, 18 years old
"Now something is being written in history that cannot be forgotten -- the fight for freedom.... The fight for freedom and the fight for women's rights have come together on this day."
Tsisana Diasamidze, 35 years old
"You know what I want? I want the children of our parliamentarians...to come back from Europe. I want them to walk in these streets, ride public transport, live for 700 laris ($270) a month, work the way we work, and then let's see what they say then."
