Georgia’s first LGBT Pride kicks off in the capital Tbilisi this week amid threats from religious and far-right groups seeking to stop the historic event. Organisers have come under pressure to cancel the activities while authorities said they cannot guarantee participants’ safety.
The backlash against Tbilisi Pride – set to run from Tuesday 18 through Sunday 23 June – has included far-right threats on Facebook to sabotage the event, opposition from the Georgian Orthodox Church, and plans to interrupt it with homophobic counter-protests.
On Sunday, far-right millionaire Levan Vasadze also pledged to set up vigilante patrols to prevent LGBT rights activists from holding their Pride march next weekend. “We will tie their hands with belts and take them away,” he told a crowd of supporters, calling on them to bring wooden clubs in order to confront the police, who he warned not to intervene.
