Response of a “No to Phobia!” platform to the statement made by Irakli Garibashvili
Tbilisi. A civil platform “No-Phobia!” responds to the September 3, 2021 statement of Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, with extreme concern.
“As Irakli Garibashvili stated, “Pride March”, scheduled for July 5, 2021, was not a form of realization of the right of LGBTQ + community members to assembly and manifestation, rather it was a provocation planned by the National Movement, a well-organized insidious conspiracy applied against the statehood of Georgia. It should also be noted that the Prime Minister of Georgia appraises actions of violent groups negatively only in the context of aggression waged against journalists, whereas he does not consider it inconsistent with the liberal-democratic state that representatives of the LGBTQ + community could not enjoy their right to freedom of assembly and manifestation, while the state did not ensure their safety within the frameworks of a positive obligation imposed on it by the Constitution. Besides, in the run-up to the local elections and on the background of strong homophobic attitudes existing within certain layers of society, the statement of the Prime Minister contains elements of populism that are incompatible with Western values, which fact turns homophobic attitudes into a tool of political struggle”, - is noted in the statement released by the platform.
Source:gdi.ge
