22:57, 17 May 2019

Georgian LGBT activists give up actions on Day Against Homophobia

A participant of the gay parade hidden beneath the flag of LGBT. Photo Reuters/S. Ravikumar

Actions in Georgia on the International Day Against Homophobia are risky due to possible conflicts with opponents of LGBT people, activists of the Movement for Equality have explained. In its turn, the Georgian Patriarchy announced a procession dedicated to the Day of Family Holiness.

On May 17, 2013, a rally was held in Tbilisi at the former parliament building to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. Opponents of the rally broke through the police cordon; at least 17 people were injured in clashes. In 2014, the Patriarchate of Georgia declared May 17 to be the Day of Family Holiness.

According to Misha Meparishvili, an activist of the Movement for Equality, holding events on May 17 is too dangerous, the "Echo of the Caucasus" reports. "We wanted to place banners with messages against homophobia and equality at metro stations and bus stops ... But the printers refused to print these banners, explaining it by the risk of vandalism," he said.

A procession will be held on the Day of Family Holiness, the Georgian Patriarchate has announced. "This is an expression of our society's support of traditional values. The Church would not accept any violence, from whomever it may come," the Patriarchate has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 17, 2019 at 11:12 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.