Tbilisi Mayor Vows Protection of People's Security on May 17

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has stated that the security of people will be ensured on May 17, when two counter-protests are planned by church, parish and nationalist groups and another one by LGBT community and their supporters.

“Everyone has the opportunity to express their opinions in our country and city. We will do everything to protect the security. The relevant services are mobilized for this purpose. The fact that certain groups have their own views is a normal process. This is part of democracy, so nobody's rights can be restricted,"Kakha Kaladze said.

May 17 marks the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. On this day the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people, queer activists and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working on human rights plan a protest rally at the governmental administration.

In parallel, the Orthodox Church of Georgia has also scheduled a demonstration and a march on May 17, commemorating the Day of Family Purity.

Mass wedding ceremonies are also planned for May 17. As reported by the Patriarchate, around 400 couples will get married in various churches of Tbilisi.

“I call on everybody, who has any aggressive attitude, to refrain from participating in the upcoming May 17 march,” archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze stated.

He added that the church dissociates itself from those who express their opinions with aggression.

“We would like to emphasize that this march is not related to any aggression, but we want this day to become a real celebration. Therefore, we call on everyone who has such a mood to refrain from participating in this march. We also want to address the relevant state structures to prevent any expression of aggression and provocation,” he said.

By Thea Morrison

Related story:

Two Counter-Rallies Scheduled for May 17 in Tbilisi