Georgians march on church-backed Family Purity Day in Tbilisi
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Hundreds of Georgians are marching in Tbilisi today, marking family purity day backed by the Georgian orthodox church, first celebrated in 2014.
On the day clerics urge people to take to the streets and visit churches to pray for their families and respect Christian family traditions.
The church announced plans to celebrate the day after the bloody attack on LGBT supporters and their opposers in 2013 on May 17, which also marks the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).
Police did not have to be on high alert today as the LGBT community and their supporters held no march today.
Now the marchers are going to the Sameba Trinity Cathedral from the Rose Square to attend a service and then a concert, which will take place in the yard of the cathedral.
The participants hold Georgian flags, icons and many of them are dressed in national clothes.
Despite the guarantees the Ministry of Internal Affairs has given to the organisers of the rally for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the Equality Movement has decided to cancel its rally today.
What’s May 17 like in Tbilisi?
Police have been on high alert since early morning today as May 17 features two events in Tbilisi: the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) and the Family Purity Day that the Georgian Orthodox Church launched in 2014 to coincide with IDAHOT.
Georgia has scored highest in the Caucasus region and 22nd in Europe in the latest review of how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people experience human rights across the continent by campaign group ILGA-Europe.
On April 17 Parliament of Georgia passed a Bill on the elimination of all forms of the discrimination and related sub-bills with 110 votes in favor and none against.
Usually, on this day clerics call on people to take to the streets with them. However, amid the coronavirus-related restrictions on gathering and social distancing, this time the demonstration was held without public participation. The Georgian Orthodox Church announced plans to celebrate the day after the attack on LGBT supporters and their opposers on May 17, 2013, which also marks the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the Georgian authorities failed to protect the LGBT demonstrators from the homophobic mob on the International Day Against Homophobia back in 2013, obliging Georgia to pay damages amounting to €193,500.