On June 17, 1996, street vendors held a protest in front of Tbilisi City Hall. Around one hundred people gathered, demanding a meeting with the mayor. Their anger was sparked by a June 12 police raid in Didube District, where street vendors were forcibly removed from the area around the “Children’s World” department store. Authorities argued that selling goods was only permitted within market territories, not on the streets.

According to the vendors, market fees were unaffordable: $300 to buy a stall, 20 lari to reserve a spot for one month, and 3 lari daily fees. Many claimed they could not pay such amounts.

While the mayor did not appear, Deputy Mayor Melor Tkeshelashvili met with protest representatives. He told the newspaper Resonance that on June 19 the Didube district authorities would hold consultations to resolve the issue. Many of the street vendors were displaced persons (referred to in the press as “refugees” at the time). Tkeshelashvili said they would be exempt from fees and given stalls free of charge.

This promise, however, angered protesters, who argued that they had received similar assurances many times before with no results. Some vendors, mostly women, attempted to block traffic by lying down on the road, but police prevented them. A minor scuffle ensued, after which the street vendors’ protest at City Hall ended.