In October 2011, Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava announced a new municipal project that involved removing old newspaper kiosks and replacing them with modern-designed ones. This decision angered kiosk owners, who argued that the high prices of the new units would prevent them from participating in the auction. As a result, the bids were won by companies selling other types of products, and many press kiosks were dismantled. Civil society organizations and media outlets condemned the move as an attack on press freedom, while city officials insisted that newspapers and magazines would still be sold in the new kiosks.

The initiative was first protested on November 29 outside Tbilisi City Hall, where demonstrators held newspapers and wore signs reading “No Press, No Democracy.” On December 20, protesters gathered again, this time outside the presidential residence, carrying the same slogans. A third protest took place on December 30 in front of the Holiday Innhotel. Journalists, lawyers, members of non-parliamentary opposition parties, and media experts participated, holding flashlights to symbolically “search” for the dismantled kiosks. They crossed Gamsakhurdia Avenue and stopped at the corner of Dolidze Street, where one of the removed press stands had previously stood. Some protesters carried signs reading, “We report — Saakashvili darkens.”

During the rally, several individuals dressed in uniforms with the slogan “I Love Free Press” appeared, pushing carts loaded with newspapers and magazines — a theatrical counter-protest.

Despite public outcry, Tbilisi City Hall did not reverse its decision.