On 8 July, several thousand far-right protesters stormed the venue of a queer pride festival set to be held on the outskirts of Tbilisi, forcing the event’s organisers to be evacuated and the event to be cancelled.
People began to gather for the protest near the Vazha Pshavela metro station around noon, four hours before the festival was set to open. It was organised by the violent far-right group, Alt Info.
Protesters blocked Vazha Pshavela Avenue, watched over by large numbers of police.
In the days prior and at the event, participants and organisers stated that they would use violence to stop the festival, and against those attending it.
The crowd held a minute’s silence for Mikheil Mamukashvili, who set fire to himself during last year’s Pride events, stating that he did not want to live in a ‘sinful country’ where queer people were protected. He died of his injuries a few weeks later.
