With signs reading “Nana Kostava — the Shame of the City” and “No to Hate Speech,” civic activists and representatives of NGOs gathered in front of Kutaisi City Hall on May 31, demanding the resignation of Nana Kostava from the city council.

The protest followed an inhumane Facebook post by Nana Kostava, who mocked activist Salome Barker after the tragic death of Barker’s 16-year-old sister, writing on May 30: “You’re in a good place now, laugh!”

On May 31, Kostava was dismissed as chair of the Georgian Dream–Conservatives faction and expelled from the municipal gender council. However, there was no legal mechanism to remove her from the council entirely — she would have had to resign voluntarily. Although she initially stated her intention to leave, on June 3 she reversed her decision.

On June 6, civic activists posted stickers across downtown Kutaisi and on lampposts near the local government building reading “#Nana, Leave” and “Kutaisi City Council Without Nana Kostava.”

Ultimately, Nana Kostava left the Georgian Dream–Conservatives faction but remained in the Kutaisi City Council as an independent member.