2013 Tbilisi anti-homophobia rally protests explained

2013 Tbilisi protests
Place:Tbilisi
Methods:Demonstrations, violent clashes
Side1:NGO Identoba
Side2:Georgian Orthodox priests,[1] up to 20,000[2] "ultra-conservative Orthodox supporters"[3]

A rally against homophobia was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 17, 2013, the International Day Against Homophobia. Gay rights activists holding the rally were met by thousands of protestors opposing homosexuality, who broke through a police cordon and violently pursued them, beating and throwing stones at them.[4]

Two days earlier, Ilia II of Georgia, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, had called for banning the gay rights rally, describing homosexuality as an "anomaly and disease."[5] The day before the rally, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that LGBT individuals "have the same rights as any other social groups" in Georgia.[6]

Dozens of gay rights activists had gathered in downtown Tbilisi for the rally. A reported 20,000 Georgian Orthodox church members protested, led by church priests, and a clash ensued in Pushkin Park, near Freedom Square. Police forces did not prevent the homophobic protesters from running at the anti-homophobia rally participants,[7] as priests asked.[4] Anti-homophobia demonstrators were evacuated by the police in buses, which were attacked by the counter-demonstrators.[8] 17 people were injured in the clashes.[9]

Reaction

The violence was widely condemned by foreign embassies,[10] [11] and non-governmental organisations including Transparency Georgia, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Organization[12] and Amnesty International.[13] Ilia II of Georgia condemned any violence, but reiterated his view that homosexuality is a sin and should not be popularized.[14] The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an investigation and promised prosecution of the perpetrators.[15] Paul Rimple and Mark Mullen have described the events as part of a larger struggle between the church and the secular government.[16] [17]

On the 16th of December 2021, the European Court of Human Rights judged that the failure to protect the demonstration by Georgia state was a violation of the articles 3, 14 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[18]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Conservatives attack gay activists at rally in Tbilisi . 18 May 2013 . 17 May 2013 . BBC News.
  2. News: Slow Response by Georgians to Mob Attack on Gay Rally . 20 May 2013 . New York Times . 20 May 2013.
  3. News: Delany . Max . Church supporters disrupt Georgia gay rights rally . https://archive.today/20130616153527/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i8jzmYMM2kU02cbfDRx4LZ8t-OXQ?docId=CNG.dfdd18a904ef32d3b552ba1a24bc5608.701 . dead . June 16, 2013 . 18 May 2013 . 18 May 2013 . AFP.
  4. News: Pascale . Harter . From our own correspondent: Sexual mores in Georgia and Denmark . BBC World Service . 4 Jun 2013 .
  5. News: Georgian Orthodox Church Leader Calls For Gay-Rights Rally Ban . 18 May 2013 . 16 May 2013 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  6. News: Georgian Prime Minister Says Sexual Minorities Have Equal Rights . 18 May 2013 . 15 May 2013 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  7. Web site: Violence Against Anti-Homophobia Rally . 18 May 2013 . Civil.Ge . Civil Georgia .
  8. News: Crowd Led by Priests Attacks Gay Rights Marchers in Georgia . The New York Times . 17 May 2013 . 17 May 2013 . New York Times. Roth . Andrew .
  9. News: Antigay Protesters Disrupt Georgian Rights Rally . 18 May 2013 . 18 May 2013 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  10. News: Minister shocked by anti-gay demonstration in Georgia . Government of the Netherlands . 17 May 2013 . 17 May 2013.
  11. News: Gewalt gegen Homosexuelle: Westerwelle kritisiert georgische Regierung . 19 May 2013 . 19 May 2013 . Spiegel Online.
  12. Web site: Initial evaluation of observer organizations on the scheduled rally on May 17, the International Day against homophobia and transphobia . GYLA . 20 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141019042348/http://gyla.ge/eng/news?info=1570 . 19 October 2014 .
  13. Web site: Georgia: Homophobic violence mars Tbilisi Pride event . Amnesty International . 20 May 2013 . 2014-10-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141028051207/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/georgia-homophobic-violence-mars-tbilisi-pride-event-2013-05-17 . dead .
  14. News: Ilia the Second – Church is Against Violence, but Sin Can't be Popularized . 18 May 2013 . 18 May 2013 . Interpressnews.
  15. News: Ministry of Internal Affairs launches investigation into the yesterday's developments . 18 May 2013 . 18 May 2013 . Interpressnews.
  16. News: Rimple . Paul . Georgia's Homophobic Church . 19 May 2013 . . 19 May 2013.
  17. News: Exclusive: Mark Mullen discusses LGBT supporters' rally in Tbilisi . 19 May 2013 . 18 May 2013 . Georgian News . 20 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141020020736/http://www.georgianews.ge/society/23399-exclusive-mark-mullen-discusses-lgbt-supporters-rally-in-tbilisi.html . dead .
  18. Web site: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22%3A[%22001-214040%22} CASE OF WOMEN'S INITIATIVES SUPPORTING GROUP AND OTHERS v. GEORGIA]. 16 December 2021.

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