In the summer of 2007, traders from Tbilisi’s central marketplace, commonly known as the “Deserters’ Market,” held several protest rallies. The market building had been sold, and the city government offered to relocate the traders to a different site — a proposal that many resisted.

On August 4, the market’s new owner, the British company Herald Trade Company, began demolishing the building before most traders had the chance to remove their goods. Later, the traders agreed to the alternative location proposed by Tbilisi City Hall.

After the market’s closure, the city administration began registering the affected workers to redistribute them across other markets in Tbilisi. The municipality primarily offered relocation to the newly opened Champion 2004 shopping center in Mukhiani. The center’s management claimed they could accommodate all Deserters’ Market traders and even provide certain benefits.

Tbilisi City Hall also promised each displaced trader a compensation payment of 100 GEL.

The protest movement of the Deserters’ Market traders was led by Labour Party representative Ioseb Shatberashvili, who, along with a group of vendors, opposed the sale of the market. Following several demonstrations, tensions escalated — on the day the market was closed, clashes broke out between traders and police. Six vendors were detained, two of whom were released shortly afterward.

Ultimately, the traders were unable to retain their stalls inside the Deserters’ Market building, and new informal trading points emerged in the surrounding area.