Tbilisi Pride March of Dignity not to be held today
Tbilisi Pride March of Dignity will not be held today. Tbilisi Pride spreads a statement about it. According to the statement, a war has been declared against the civil society, democratic values and the European course of the country.
"The current actions of the country's government have once again made it clear that the political authorities do not want to carry out their direct duties. Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili's shameful, violent, anti-state and anti-Western statement, in which he shifted responsibility and vectors of aggression to activists, is a continuation of coordinated violent, conformist, encouraging and Russian policy of our political government, the Georgian Patriarchate and pro-Russian groups. The inaction of the executive power has put the health and lives of Georgian citizens in real danger.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, while having every opportunity to ensure the safety of Pride Week participants, did not take any effective measures to protect the fundamental rights of the people. The members of Tbilisi Pride, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps had a number of meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They were aware of our action strategy, they were offered specific plans to ensure the safety of the march, however, instead of effective measures, we have been watching the encouragement of violent groups by government officials since the morning.
It was this inaction and the use of hate groups as a tool of political power that led to the raids on the offices of Tbilisi Pride and the Shame Movement, violence against journalists in front of the police - it is more than an obstruction of professional activities, it is a declared hunt for the media, for activists, for all those who believe in the idea of equality.
Given the current events, we do not expect the Ministry of Internal Affairs to adequately fulfill its duties, as we see that they do not respond to the facts of violence in front of them.
We call on the international community, opposition parties, non-governmental organizations, supporters and citizens of Georgia to clearly distance themselves from radical hate groups and the state's policy of complete anti-state inaction.
On behalf of Tbilisi Pride, we would like to state that the March of Dignity For #Solidarity will not take place today. The authorities not only did not ensure the safety of the queer community and our supporters, but also prevented us from exercising our right to assemble through active measures. We can not take to the streets full of violent people backed by the authorities, the Patriarchate and pro-Russian forces and put people's lives at risk!
We want to make it clear to our supporters that the fight for dignity will continue, an irreversible process that will not stop despite the furious resistance of hate groups, the patriarchate and the government! We will definitely come out for dignity!", - reads the statement.
