Yoga Mats and Coca-Cola: How aggressive groups disrupted the Tbilisi Pride Festival
Tbilisi Pride festival attacked
The event was disrupted by anti-LGBTQ groups who gathered on Saturday for a mass rally specifically aimed at sabotaging the festival.
The action started at 12 o’clock near the Vaja-Pshavela monument in Tbilisi. Protesters blocked the road. Members of “Alt-Info”, an ultra-right organization, and other radical groups took turns approaching the microphone on stage. The main message of the speakers was that “the West is trying to corrupt Georgia and is financing organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community”.
The speakers also frequently mentioned the “Global War Party attempting to drag the country into war”. They also criticized the Ukrainian government who they said had failed to prevent the war and “is now trying to bring nationalists and Saakashvili back to lead Georgia”.
“We are starting the ‘Anti-Maidan’ movement,” said Zura Makhadze, the founder of “Alt-Info.”
By 1 p.m., the participants of the rally, whose numbers ranged from a few thousand to three thousand according to various estimates, moved towards “Lisi Wonderland” on the outskirts of the capital. The Tbilisi Pride festival was planned to take place there.
The organizers had already prepared everything for the outdoor festival: they set up a stage, brought yoga mats for the guests to comfortably sit on the ground, and arranged refreshments.
A large number of police officers followed the radical groups marching towards Lisi. They didn’t attempt to stop the aggressive crowd until they reached Lisi.
Among the radicals, there were many priests. Some protesters were dressed in black shirts with white crosses.
At Lisi, the police attempted to prevent the radicals from infiltrating the festival area, but they managed to break through the police cordon. By that time, the organizers of Tbilisi Pride and the festival attendees were no longer present—they had left the Lisi area to avoid a confrontation.
“We had to leave the area. Law enforcement was unable to protect the territory,” the festival organizers wrote on social media.
The violent groups looted the festival grounds, burned LGBT flags and other symbols. They also burned the flag of Ukraine.
Items intended for the Pride event were stolen. Some photos show radicals leave the Lisi area with pink yoga mats in their hands and Coca-Cola cans stuffed in their pockets.
On July 8, the festival was supposed to conclude the Pride Week, a series of events that took place behind closed doors due to threats against LGBTQ+ activists.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs had deployed special units to ensure the security of the festival, but the situation spiralled out of control. Several individuals are said to have been arrested.
The Pride organizers claim that the police clearly sided with the homophobic groups and effectively made no attempt to stop them.
“It was such an absurd play that we couldn’t understand it. They created an artificial chaos,” Ana Subeliani, co-director of Tbilisi Pride, said in an interview with Radio Liberty, adding that the police escorted the aggressive group to the doors, let them enter the festival area, and the organizers were forced to quickly leave the scene.
Tbilisi Pride festival attacked
“One of our staff members saw the police lead these people in from alternate entrances, gesturing to them, like, ‘Come on, come in,'” Subeliani says.
Soon the crowd dispersed. Some of them moved towards the Parliament building, where they voiced their demands.
Among the demands were the release of those arrested for the raid on the protest on July 5, 2021, and the enactment of a law against sexual minorities.
Once again, Zura Makharadze, the founder of “Alt-Info,” took the stage.
“Today is a day of victory. Today, with a score of 100:0, the conservative part of Georgia has won… and most importantly… we demand a law not only in kindergartens and schools but also everywhere to ban LGBT propaganda, pride events, and similar orgies! This is the people’s demand. We demand a law!” Makharadze declared.
Reactions
The events of July 8 have prompted reactions from the President of Georgia and Georgia’s Western partners.
The President of Georgia criticized the work of law enforcement and said that the authorities had failed to protect the freedom of assembly.
“Protecting the right to assembly means holding an event and not leaving the place deserted, as if security cannot be ensured in any other way.”
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The President accused the ruling party of encouraging violence. She said that radical homophobes had been openly supported by members of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party.
The Public Defender also issued a statement regarding the incident. He called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to respond promptly and appropriately to all law violations.
Non-governmental organizations released a joint statement, also holding the government responsible.
“It is alarming that the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues its tolerant policy towards hate groups,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, today we have once again witnessed government-orchestrated and organized violence, which is further evidence that the government is attempting to retain power using Russian methods,” said the opposition party “Strategy Agmashenebeli” in their statement.
Chairman of “European Georgia” Giga Bokeria stated, “In countries more successful than ours, there are people prone to violence, but in our case, these people are part of the Ivanishvili regime and its instruments.”
The “For Georgia” party stated, “Today’s events have once again proven that state institutions in the country cannot fulfill their functions, as they are subservient to the party and act according to the political agenda.”
The Lelo party said, “Today’s violent events in Tbilisi clearly demonstrate that the state institutions of Georgia have completely collapsed and do not protect the freedom and safety of citizens.”
As the party notes, “Today, law enforcement agencies serve not the interests ofGeorgia and its citizens but the interests of the ruling team, which, upon Ivanishvili’s instructions, is implementing the Kremlin’s scenario in Georgia.”
The “National Movement” party stated, “The violence groups created and encouraged by the government have become the main stronghold of the ‘Russian Dream.’ The government of Georgia cannot fulfill its primary obligations, such as ensuring the safety of citizens.”
Tbilisi Pride festival attacked
International reaction
A few hours after the raid on the Pride festival, the U.S. Embassy issued a statement calling on the authorities to hold those who had violated the law accountable and to make it clear that violence was unacceptable.
“Today, Tbilisi Pride was forced to cancel its planned, closed event because an uncontrolled crowd threatening violence denied attendees their Constitutionally protected right to peacefully assemble. The Georgian authorities have a duty to protect the basic human rights of all of Georgia’s citizens. The use or threat of violence and intimidation to silence differing views is undemocratic and contrary to Georgia’s history of tolerance, compassion, and pluralism. We call on the authorities to hold accountable all those who broke the law and make clear that violence is unacceptable”.
The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia also expressed disappointment and concern over the cancellation of the festival.
“Those who incite and commit violence must be held accountable,” the EU Delegation’s Facebook page stated.
The United Nations Representation in Georgia also condemned the incident:
“We call on the authorities of Georgia to condemn this alarming incident, hold the perpetrators accountable, and take decisive action to improve the protection of the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression for all, including LGBTQ+ individuals.”
Tbilisi Pride festival attacked
