On July 7, 1994, opposition parties in Georgia held a sanctioned rally near the Cinema House (opposite the Rustaveli monument) under the slogan “Shevardnadze must resign!” The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze. Speakers included Irakli Tsereteli, leader of the National Independence Party; L. Zhorzholiani, leader of the Monarchists; Nodar Natadze, chairman of the United Republican Party; MP Kupreishvili from the Merab Kostava Society; and Dochia from the Social Democrats.

Nodar Natadze accused the government of losing territories and destroying the economy, adding that Georgia was turning into a mafia-criminal state. The Republicans, however, stated they did not take part in organizing the protest, noting that if Shevardnadze actually resigned, no one was ready to govern. Other speakers insisted: “First, Shevardnadze must go, then we will see.”

Participants claimed that Georgia was on the verge of catastrophe, the state apparatus was trapped in corruption and mafia control, and that Shevardnadze was an agent of imperialist Russia. They demanded Shevardnadze’s resignation and the dissolution of the cabinet of ministers.

Irakli Tsereteli shouted, “Is Shevardnadze the enemy of the people?” to which the crowd responded affirmatively. He added: “If Shevardnadze does not resign, we must build barricades, the ones we should have built in Gamsakhurdia’s time. The former president made mistakes, but he did not betray Georgia.” According to Tsereteli, the national-liberation movement had to enter a new phase.

The newspaper Resonansi summarized the event: “The half-starved, heat-exhausted people at the rally looked nothing like the demonstrators of 1988–1989.”

At the participants’ request, another rally was scheduled for July 9 at the same location. Unlike the July 7 rally, however, police dispersed it. Several citizens, including journalists, were beaten with rubber batons and kicked. Although both rallies were unsanctioned, the newspaper Droni reported that law enforcement officers outnumbered demonstrators, with a special forces battalion also present.