21:00, 18 May 2013

Hundreds of supporters and opponents of gay parades flood Tbilisi streets

The actions of supporters and opponents of the gay parades, held today in front of the Georgian government, have gathered a few hundred people.

On May 17 in Tbilisi, a rally in support of sexual minorities was interrupted by opponents of the action and ended in mass clashes. The number of victims has reached 28.

Today, participants of the protest action, organized by the NGO "Civil Front", have gathered in front of the government building; they demanded to ban the promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships at the legislative level.

Another group has protested against the violent actions taken yesterday against activists of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. They demand to punish the attackers and their instigators.

The law enforcement bodies have built a live barrier of several hundred policemen between the two groups, the "Georgia Online" reports.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has launched an investigation into the clashes on May 17. "Particular individuals will be prosecuted," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Nino Giorgobiani, the PR head of the MIA.