Organizers cancel gay pride parade in Tbilisi

The inaction of the police and the Georgian government amid the aggression of the opponents to the “March of Dignity” forced the LGBT community to abandon the action scheduled for today, its organizers report.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that from July 1 to 5, the LGBT community held the LGBT Week in Tbilisi which they planned to end with the “March of Dignity” in the city centre. Today, several hundred opponents of the gay pride parade blocked Rustaveli Avenue and attacked journalists who were covering the protest action.

According to the announcement posted on the page of the “Tbilisi Pride” organization on Facebook, the “March of Dignity” scheduled for today will not take place.

The LGBT community pointed to the inaction of the Georgian authorities, which demonstrated a lack of political will to fulfil “their direct responsibilities,” the “Tbilisi Pride” organization notes in its statement.

The inaction of the Georgian authorities and the police was regarded by the organizers of the march as providing the contractors on protest with “weapons” against the participants of the “March of Dignity”. As a result, opponents of the gay pride action tried to break into the office of the LGBT community and the “Sirtskhviliya” movement, and they were attacking journalists in the presence of the police. “The authorities not only failed to ensure the safety of residents and our supporters, but also prevented us from exercising our right to assemble,” the “Tbilisi Pride” organization notes in its statement. The organizers of the action promised to continue “the struggle for dignity.”

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 5, 2021 at 04:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.