Pro-European protests in Tbilisi have continued for 432 days.

Protesters took to the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue for the 432nd time, demanding the release of political prisoners. Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, called the Georgian Dream party's plan to merge its largest universities a "declaration of war."

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 1, the 431st day of continuous protests, protesters on Rustaveli Avenue demanded the release of political prisoners and opposed education reform. Students from Tbilisi State University and Georgian Technical University have been protesting against plans to merge the universities since January 29

Supporters of Georgia's European integration held their 432nd protest outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue this evening, Publika reports.

Activists gathered on the sidewalk, avoiding the roadway. The protesters brought national flags, EU and US flags, and homemade posters, according to a report by Netgazeti.

Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, called the education reform announced by the Georgian Dream government a "declaration of war" while speaking today at a public discussion at the Expo Georgia exhibition center in Tbilisi.

“We are essentially being left alone with the monster. We must understand that none of this is accidental. These texts are not written by their hands. We see who sits in parliament and on committees. All of this is being written in the same place where a hybrid strategy against Georgia is being developed. A similar reform was adopted in Russia in 2022 (...) For the next generation, the European education system, of which we were a part, will become inaccessible,” Novosti-Gruzia quotes her as saying.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces carried out violent dispersals of the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over the course of the protests, more than 1,000 people were subjected to administrative prosecution. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".