2016-08-04 On August 4 in Batumi, political union Our Homeland staged a rally with participants from different districts of Ajara. The night before, on August 3, representatives of the party were driving in the streets of Batumi with loudspeakers, urging locals to join the rally against the United National Movement. On August 4, from 11am, the party started mobilizing rally participants with minibuses, at Europe Square. After addresses from the organizers, the protesters started marching towards the UNM office, chanting. They were carrying rubber dummies of former President Saakashvili and Turkish opposition politician Fethullah Gülen, which they later set on fire outside the UNM’s office. Violent confrontation ensued; hate speech and exchange of accusations grew into a physical clash.7 As the UNM had called the police before the rally began, law enforcement officers and police patrol vehicles were mobilized outside the UNM’s office. They had created a corridor in an attempt to keep the sides away from each other and were trying to stop the violent confrontation. They detained a supporter of Our Homeland, Gia Makharadze for disorderly conduct and police disobedience. The confrontation and use of hate speech lasted for more than half an hour. Protesters were chanting: “down with the Fascists”, “creators of the bloody regime should be punished”, “murderers”; UNM supporters were chanting: “Ivanishvili’s slaves”, “Fascists”, etc.