The “Mighty” rally promised by Armenia’s opposition, which was called to become a turning point on the road to removing Nikol Pashinyan from power, took place on May 1. It was first announced as a gathering on Yerevan’s central Republic Square, then moved to Freedom Square, finally stopping at France Square.
The Union of Informed Citizens, which is considered the organisation publishing the most reliable information on attendance at such rallies, estimates the number of those present at Sunday’s protest at 12,500 people.
“Today, May 1, the opposition ‘Resistance’ movement was holding a rally at France Square in Yerevan from 16:00. The Union of Informed Citizens carried out a count of rally participants through aerial photography, as a result of which it was established that as of 16:48 around 12,500 people were at France Square and adjacent areas.
“It should be noted that some rally participants are probably not visible because they are under the crowns of trees. The count was carried out through individual counting of participants,” the organisation’s statement said.
Speakers at the rally again criticised Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s “defeatist” policy on the Artsakh question, accusing him of “treason.”
At the end of the rally, opposition protesters pitched tents and promised to spend the night there until their demands are met.
