An Activist's Journey to Politics: From Protecting Trees and Advocating Equality to Fighting a Pro-Russian Regime

In early March, 2023, the Georgian government, headed by the nationalist "Georgian Dream" Party, tried to implement a law based on a Russian law that would require all members of NGOs (and many others) to register as "foreign agents" and be subject to harassment and repression. Georgian democracy activists banded together to protest the law, which led to two days of confrontations with police that included violence against the protestors, including tear gas and water cannons. The protest continued to grow, and the government was forced to back down and withdraw the draft law. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/world/europe/georgia-protests-russia....

One of the leaders of the democratic activists was Tamar Jakeli, '17, who helped found the Georgian Green Party last year. Tamar will present her talk via videoconference from Tbilisi and will answer questions about environmental, LGBTQ, and democratic activism in Georgia (and beyond) at the end of the presentation. Lunch will be provided