Tbilisi Pride Event Held in Front of MIA

The Tbilisi Pride event, the March of Dignity, was held this evening in Georgia's capital, in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The participants of the demonstration chanted "Gakharia, resign!" during the procession.

According to the organizers of the event, they wanted the March to be much more large-scale, however, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, namely, Minister Giorgi Gakharia, did not give them safety guarantees, which was the reason behind their anger.

"The violent regime should end. We want to live a decent life", the participants of the march stated.

Earlier this morning, the organizers announced that they had canceled the Dignity March "due to the lack of security in the country at this moment”.

Despite the released information that the March of Dignity was canceled, its opponents - clerics, nationalist groups and their supporters still gathered at several locations in Tbilisi today to prevent the march from taking place.

Previously, the Tbilisi Pride's March of Dignity announced for June 22 was postponed due to the June 20 rally in Tbilisi. According to the organizers of Tbilisi Pride, they, as citizens of Georgia, expressed solidarity to the citizens’ “fair protest against the Russian occupation and shameful visit of the Russian MP to Georgia” in this form.

Related Story: Tbilisi Pride Event Planned for Today Canceled

Photo: Tbilisi Pride/Facebook

By Ana Dumbadze