Tbilisi: police clash with LGBT opponents

The protesters, who gathered near the "Amirani" Cinema, are trying to break through the police cordon. Special fighters try to push them away from the cinema building.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Patriarchy and opponents of LGBT people opposed the screening of the film "And then we danced", which tells about the love of two performers of Georgian folk dances, in Georgian cinemas. Activists announced protests.

Today, on the day of the film's premiere, police and special fighters were mobilized at the "Amirani" Cinema, where the screening is planned.

Several hundred people gathered for a protest against the premiere of the film. Police blocked the pavement of the street in which the "Amirani" Cinema is located in order to prevent activists from approaching it.

The protesters demanded from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to hold an emergency briefing and give a legal assessment of the film about gay dancers. Contrary to law enforcers' demands that protesters should move to the roadway, activists entered a confrontation with the police.

After several attempts to break through the police cordon, clashes broke out – special fighters with shields and rubber batons entered the roadway and began pushing the protesters further from the cinema. At least two loud bangs sounded resembling the sound of explosions, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the venue.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 8, 2019 at 06:43 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.