Ruling party says ‘political interests’ stood behind Tbilisi Pride
The head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the ‘radical opposition’ stood behind the Tbilisi Pride march. Photo: Georgian Dream press office.
Tweet 
Share
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that ‘political interests’ and not the interests of the LGBT community stood behind today's Tbilisi Pride march.
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze has repeated the allegations of the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made earlier today and said that ‘what is happening now in Tbilisi is in the interests of the United National Movement radical opposition and their partner parties.’
Kobakhidze made the statement and condemned attacks on journalists and others after dozens of people protesting the Tbilisi Pride march scheduled for later today attacked journalists, a tourist and damaged several offices in central Tbilisi.
#Georgia ????????: a man on a scooter reportedly tried to drive into a group of journalists as they were reporting on the anti-pride violence in #Tbilisi.
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) July 5, 2021
Source: https://t.co/SpUIIzAzRa pic.twitter.com/HSffPvAoVL
We have warned Tbilisi Pride organisers that the march could lead to an escalation of the situation and tension and called upon them to refrain from holding the march,” Kobakhidze said.
He stated that the police have done their utmost to prevent incidents. However, it was difficult to prevent all incidents when around 10,000 individuals were on the street, protesting the march.
❗️This is how our office looks like after todays attack. @GovernmentGeo and @MIAofGeorgia failed to protect people and didn't stop aggressive groups to destroy our property..#TbilisiPride21 #Georgia #Pride pic.twitter.com/mLADg7BMgP
— Giorgi Tabagari (@Tabagari) July 5, 2021
The head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia has stated that the government ‘with the hands of the homophobic groups managed by them and the deliberate indifference of police to the cases of violence kills the state.’
The march which was scheduled to complete five-day events of Tbilisi Pride has been cancelled by organisers due to ‘security threats.’
Twenty-one embassies and international organisations in Georgia have published a joint statement condemning violence in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, as well as the 'failure of the government leaders and religious officials' to condemn this violence.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has called on Tbilisi Pride to call off the march scheduled for 6 p.m. today, due to security risks caused by the counter rally of right-wing groups and the patriarchate. Individuals gathered at the counter rally on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi attacked and insulted journalists and obstructed their professional activities.
Right wing activists who had gathered on Rustaveli Avenue this morning to protest the Tbilisi Pride march scheduled for 6 p.m. later today attacked journalists and cameramen on the spot, injuring dozens of media representatives. Among the injured media representatives there are eight from Rustavi 2, two journalists from TV Pirveli, and employees of On.ge, Tabula, Netgazeti, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other media outlets.
Police are investigating an attack on the offices of Tbilisi Pride and the Shame movement by right-wing groups protesting the Tbilisi Pride march earlier today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced. Civil movement Shame reported that no one was injured in the attack on their office.
Georgian president condemns violence during today’s events
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has released a statement following today's events in the capital city of Tbilisi in which she condemns the violence and persecution of people on the basis of difference of opinion, sexuality or gender identity.
A Palitranews cameraman who was attacked by right wing activists earlier today has undergone an operation at New Hospitals and is being taken to the med ward at this time. Head of the New Hospitals emergency service Mikheil Beriashvili said that the patient had a head injury and a broken nose.
Eight people have been detained for violence against journalists and attacks on the offices of Tbilisi Pride and the Shame Movement, as well as an explosion at the headquarters of a Tbilisi-based human rights organisations during the Tbilisi Pride counter rally today, the Georgian Interior Ministry reports.
Senaki and Chkhorotskhu Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, who is Patriarch Ilia II’s ‘locum tenens’ has addressed the crowd at Kashveti Church after the violent attacks of the right-wing groups, that the Georgian society will again unite against LGBT activities anytime in the future.
Georgian opposition parties have condemned the failure of the Georgian government to adequately respond to violence at yesterday’s Tbilisi Pride counter rally. The Georgian government has issued several statements to the effect, with Parliament Speaker Kakha Kuchava responded to yesterday’s violent attacks on journalists by right-wing groups and called it shameful.