Georgian LGBTQ activists cancel pride

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Tbilisi on Monday to protest the pride march in the evening. They clashed with police and attacked journalists in several places, including the parliament and the UN delegation, according to footage shown by Mtavari TV.

Pride organizers later announced on social network Facebook that the pride would not take place.

“We cannot risk human lives and take to the streets full of violent attackers,” the organizers said.

Their statement said that the offices of the organization “Tbilisi Pride” were also attacked.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said today that pride is unacceptable to a large part of Georgian society.

“It is not sensible to hold a so-called pride march, because it threatens to confront citizens,” Garibashvili said at a government meeting.

Pride organizers condemned the prime minister’s statements, saying they were promoting homophobia, and accused the government of failing to protect fundamental rights.

Last week, US and European Union (EU) diplomatic missions in Georgia, as well as 16 other embassies, issued a joint statement calling on the Georgian government to “ensure the right to peaceful assembly for all Georgians without exception.”

Public opinion in Georgia has become more liberal in recent years and a number of prides have taken place in the country. However, overall, Georgia remains very conservative.