Violent, Putinist groups held an anti-Western rally in several locations today. They tore up the EU flag in front of the EU representation office and then set it on fire.
Anti-European and violent calls were heard from anti-Western groups in various locations. After violent calls by altinfo leader Koka Morgosia while staying near the EU office, the building was shot at. No one was arrested on the spot.
Later, the Putinist goofs moved to the parliament building and held the rally there.
For information, there is a law in Sakatvelo that prohibits the desecration of the EU flag. In case of its violation, the offender is subject to a monetary fine and 15-day administrative imprisonment.
On July 2, at dawn, the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested 26 members of a violent and homophobic group on Mtatsminda. Among them are Zura Makharadze, Beka Vardosanidze, Irakli Martinenko and father and son Falavandishvili.
They are against the closed event – the festival of Tbilisi Pride and want to disrupt it. It was under this pretext that they were gathered during the arrest.
In addition to the homophobic motive, today’s actions of the violent groups are probably related to the pro-European action planned for July 3 and organized by the authorities, as well as the organized violence that took place at the meetings held in the regions this week with the participation of public officials.
Today, the thugs who appeared in Rustaveli said that “they will wait another half an hour for their boys to come out”.
Some of the thugs gathered in front of the Parliament plan to stay on the spot until late, according to them, “in order to prevent” the Pride Week event from moving to Rustaveli. However, nothing like this is planned.
Tbilisi Pride leaders refused to hold the march on July 5, 2021. On this day, from 09:00 in the morning, violent groups, on homophobic and other grounds, were brutally physically assaulting journalists and ordinary citizens; therefore, the march scheduled for 18:00 was no longer held.
In 2021, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili encouraged the violence and put all the responsibility on the LGBTQ human rights organization, while the police were present in very small numbers.