The strike itself is very important in the sense that it has a single demand: that those who have been illegally detained — against whom no charges can be proven, who have no accusers or witnesses, and yet remain in custody — must be unconditionally released.

We may not be striking over economic conditions, we may not be striking over social issues — perhaps because that culture hasn’t yet fully developed here — but this time, we are striking against injustice. And this injustice must be stopped.

The fact that so many people feel this deep sense of injustice — the authorities should reflect on that. Why do so many people feel this way?

They may think we’re insignificant and few in number, but our numbers are growing — steadily growing. That’s why this is so important.

In general, a strike as a form of protest is, of course, one of the most radical — and therefore, potentially the most impactful. Unfortunately, since Georgia lacks experience with this kind of protest, it’s difficult, at least for now, to imagine a large-scale, mass strike.

However, a strike like this one — which carries a certain symbolic weight and serves as a kind of preparatory ground — I believe is extremely important. Especially considering that several central streets of the city are now practically paralyzed.

Accordingly, for the city’s residents — who, strangely enough, may still remain indifferent to these developments that are dragging the country toward a complete abyss — I think this can be quite significant in terms of shaking things up, so to speak.