"Why is your jacket unbuttoned?" - Homophobic attack in Tbilisi

Attack on Tbilisi bus

Luka Ablotia, a teenager, was attacked on a Tbilisi bus. Ablotia posted a video of the incident on Facebook. According to him, a remark about an “unbuttoned jacket” was followed first by verbal and then by physical attacks.

In the video a man can be heard verbally abusing the teenager.

“This man attacked me on the bus because of my jacket, asked me why are I was it with the buttons undone. I replied what do you care what I’m wearing, and we started arguing. Then this man stood up and raised his hand to hit me, then another joined him.

Some girls helped me out, I went to the front of the bus and called the police. This man threatened to kill me, I had no other choice. The driver stopped at Tsereteli 126, and we waited for the police.

The man stepped forward and hit me. I defended myself and pushed him away. Some of the women on the bus blamed me. I can’t go into details because I’m bad at writing. Then the police came and called an ambulance.

I will definitely answer this scumbag and everyone on the bus who violated my rights!

Remember that this is a war against free people and minorities. This is yet another homophobic attack. Remember, we will win! #homophobia kills,” Ablotia writes.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an investigation under Article 126 of the Criminal Code, which deals with violence.

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In February 2020, the Council of Europe office in Georgia published the results of a study of minorities. This document highlights that members of the LGBTQ community are most often the target of hate crimes.

In 2018, according to a study conducted by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Georgia), a significant part of the Georgian population (36%) considered diversity to be harmful to the country, and 43% believed that minorities do not have the right to protest on the street.

In 2018, 70% of respondents would not want to have not only personal, but also business relationships with homosexuals. Only 22% answered yes to this question.

Participants were asked to name groups they would not want to live next door to. After drug addicts (67%) and criminals (67%), respondents named those in the LGBTQ community at 54%.

Attack on Tbilisi bus