In a statement following the violent attack on the Pride Fest event today, the organizers, Tbilisi Pride, said the Ministry of Interior and violent extremist group Alt-Info “jointly orchestrated” an attack against rights and democracy.
Tbilisi Pride said the police reneged on its commitment to ensure the festival’s security and argues that video evidence shows the police and violent groups “proceeded to the festival area in an unhindered and agreed manner.”
Tbilisi Pride further states: “Alt-info members surrounded us, and the police, instead of dispersing them, compelled us to leave the area with a transport that had been prepared previously.”
The authors of the statement decry the Ministry of Interior declaring this forced evacuation a victory, saying that “in fact, this was a pre-arranged step [between the police and extremists]” which explains police inaction.
Tbilisi Pride calls out Deputy Minister of Interior Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, who personally provided guarantees of security in planning meetings leading up to the festival and even on the very day of the event. “Instead,” the statement reads, “the police allowed Alt-Info members to trespass into the private and enclosed festival territory, to attack peaceful citizens, and to inflict irreparable emotional trauma on them.”
The statement specifically points out that the police did not close the route leading to the festival site to the Alt-Info rally which has pledged to disrupt it violently, and that the police did not employ proportional force and measures once the attack on a police cordon has started.
Tbilisi Pride also reminds the government has failed to bring to justice the organizers of the July 5, 2021, pogrom, who have again called for violence today, on July 8, with apparent impunity. The statement says this is tantamount to the government supporting and encouraging violence.
“This was an organized attack by the Georgian government and the Putinist violent group on democracy, human rights, and innocent people who wanted to enjoy the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution,” reads the statement.
Tbilisi Pride expresses hope that all those who reject violence and support Georgia’s democratic and European path will denounce the events and stand in solidarity with the affected individuals.
Also Read:
- 08/07/2023 – Police Stands by as Far-Right Groups Attack Tbilisi Pride Festival
- 07/07/2023 – Coalition Urges Safety Measures for Tbilisi Pride, Cites Government’s Homophobic Campaign
- 03/07/2023 – Tbilisi Pride Week Kicks off With Support From International Partners
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