TBILISI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2021) The speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Kakhaber Kutchava, said that he raised a new European Union flag near the building after opponents of the LGBTQ+ movement tore and burned down the previous one.
"The membership in European and Euro-Atlantic structures is a historical choice of the Georgian people, and we will definitely follow this path even further. It is unacceptable to lower the flag of the European Union ... We must remember that we all have one homeland, history, traditions and religion, which has nothing to do with violence," Kutchava wrote on his Facebook page in a post accompanied by a few photographs depicting him personally raising the new EU flag on the flagpole.
On July 1, Tbilisi launched its very own Pride Week which aimed to hold a number of events. The final event known as the "March of Dignity" was to take place on this Monday but had to be canceled after some radical groups threw bottles and sticks at reporters.
On the following day, Georgian politicians and representatives of non-governmental organizations held a silent protest in solidarity. Simultaneously, supporters of traditional values organized their counter-protest, near the Parliament.
The protests near the Parliament turned violent as they attempted to break through the patrol police cordon and reach the protesters. The Ministry of Interior Affairs arrested over 100 people and launched an investigation into the incident.
