Student marchers joined the protest on Rustaveli Avenue.

Students from Ilia State University protested against education reform and marched from the university building to the Georgian Parliament. Outside the Parliament, they joined the daily protest, which is taking place for the 442nd consecutive day.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 11, the 441st day of continuous protests, participants in the meeting on Rustaveli Avenue held a picket outside the Parliament in support of political prisoners.

The daily gathering of supporters of Georgia's European integration on Rustaveli Avenue today was preceded by a student protest outside the Ilia University building. The students, like the university administration, spoke out against the government's decision to reduce faculties and state-funded places at the university.

As a result of the government's decision, the university will lose 90% of its programs and 90% of its students, which means "the de facto closure of one of the country's most successful universities," said Deputy Rector Giorgi Gvalia.

"We intend to resist this decision in every possible way, as we consider it illegitimate. It contradicts the Constitution of Georgia, and we will use any legal mechanism, both domestically and internationally, to prove our case," Novosti-Gruzia quotes him as saying.

A large police presence was mobilized during the student protest near Ilia University. "We gathered here because Georgian Dream insulted us. Today they took the most anti-national step they could have taken," Netgazeti quotes student Alexander Rigvava as saying at the demonstration.

Students protesting with the slogan "Defend Georgia, Protect Education!" Marched from the university to the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, joining the daily protest demanding the release of political prisoners and new parliamentary elections. During the march, they used multicolored smoke bombs, Publika reports.

Near the parliament, the students continued their protest, while police called on the activists to disperse and not block traffic, Interpressnews reports.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed 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".