Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to ongoing political processes and statements related to the March of Dignity and calls on the government to protect security and social peace and to respect constitutional principles.

The mobilization of counter-rally has started on Rustaveli Avenue since last night and this morning on a much larger scale. The mobilization of the counter-rally was especially facilitated by the official statement of the Patriarchate, which called on the parishioners to participate in a mass prayer on July 5 at 13:00 and 17:00. The youth initiative group of the Chokhosani community of the Georgian Patriarchate also called on the parishioners to take the children to the streets. Some members of the Synod can be noticed in the streets today among the participants of the counter-rally.

Various violent groups have been moving in the streets since this morning and several episodes of violence by them have already been reported. Violent groups dispersed opposition tents in front of the Parliament in the morning. Organized groups in the street are aggressive towards journalists and have physically assaulted several journalists and cameramen. Journalists declare working on the ground is difficult and unsafe.

Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili responded to the current events at the government session held in the middle of the day. Gharibashvili declared that he did not consider it expedient to hold the Pride on Rustaveli Avenue, as it was unacceptable to the majority of the population and contained risks of civil strife. The Prime Minister linked the organization of Pride to Mikheil Saakashvili and the opposition. Gharibashvili pointed out that Pride can gather in an alternative space and the Ministry of Interior Affairs has regular communication with the Pride organizers. The Prime Minister pointed out that the government will do what the people want because our society is traditional.

Given the created situation, it is still unknown to the public exactly what is planned in terms of realization of freedom of assembly of the March of Dignity. A few minutes ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs called on the participants of "Tbilisi Pride" to refrain from holding a march in public space on Rustaveli Avenue due to the scale of the rallies planned by the opposition groups. A few minutes ago, the Ministry of Interior Affairs called on the participants of "Tbilisi Pride" to refuse to hold a Pride in public space on Rustaveli Avenue due to the scale of the rallies planned by the antagonist groups.

Observations on police work on Rustaveli Avenue yesterday and today demonstrate that insufficient police forces have been mobilized on the spot and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not taken measures to identify specific locations, protect them, and separate protesters and counter-protesters. The security strategy applied by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, especially after the statement of Irakli Gharibashvili today, makes us think that the government had no real interest in protecting the freedom of assembly and allowed the chaotic and mass mobilization of counter-protesters on Rustaveli Avenue and the nearby streets.

Irakli Gharibashvili's statement today was extremely alarming and it contradicted the fundamental constitutional principles and logic of human rights protection. The Prime Minister, in the name of tradition and majority, has neglected and justified the rights of specific groups. He again tried to use LGBT issues irresponsibly, politically, and to involve human rights issues in the process of political polarization. Gharibashvili did not make a single declaration for peace and security and resorted to naked and anti-social populism, thus once again demonstrating the non-democratic logic of his government and the creation and instrumentalization of conflict.

In our opinion, the government is trying to cover up the hardest social and political crisis in our country by artificially creating, admitting, and instrumentalizing social conflicts. A government that fails to address our poverty, economic inequality, health care crisis, and is completely incapable to overcome this crisis, today with cheap populism is trying to create a human-oriented image.

The governments in our reality have historically created various "scapegoats" on which it addresses the social hopelessness, frustration, and anger of our people, and the existing political and economic status quo remains unchanged. It is unfortunate for us that the existing political elites are doing everything to constantly cover up the roots of the real conflict in our reality and to use people as a political tool in these attempts.

For almost 10 years, LGBTQ people in our country have been unable to exercise their freedom of assembly due to violence from clerical and other radical conservative groups. During these years, the government has failed to create security guarantees for the gatherings of LGBTQ people, nor to pursue long-term educational, social, and cultural policies that would systematically address the problem of homophobia and be transformative. In contrast, the government has attempted to use homophobia politically, applied the strategy of non-recognition of LGBT rights and silence in recent years.

The government does not have the policy to deal with violent radicalization and is constantly tolerating and sometimes even politically using the crimes committed by violent groups. These groups have repeatedly publicly threatened and called for violence, although in no case have they responded legally. Moreover, the government allowed these groups to enter the formal political and media field.

It is alarming for us that after the hard experience of May 17, 2013, where a rally with participation and leadership of the members of the Synod took the form of collective and mass violence, the Patriarchate still stands by violent groups and encourages practices against social peace and human respect. The patriarchate, which is in the midst of internal crises and sexual scandals is the cause of internal divisions, instead of rethinking these crises, is still instrumentalizing the parish.

Although Social Justice Center does not share Tbilisi Pride's activist strategy and believes that overcoming homophobia is achievable through transformational efforts and an activist agenda based on the real needs of LGBTQ people and democratic self-organization, we regret that the organizers of March of Dignity have to bear such scale of social pressure and political non-recognition.

This reality is particularly difficult for members of the LGBTQ community, who live in a reality of daily violence, discrimination, poverty, homelessness, family eviction, and victims of political non-recognition and instrumentalization since 2011.

Given the above, the Social Justice Center calls:

Ministry of Interior Affairs

• To take effective and timely measures to ensure real security on Rustaveli Avenue;
• To take effective preventive measures to prevent homo/bi/transphobic crimes today and in the future;
• To respect as much as possible and protect the freedom of assembly of the March of Dignity.

Government of Georgia

• To bring their statements in line with constitutional logic and prevent the political instrumentalization of human rights issues;
• To develop long-term policies to tackle homophobia and transform public prejudices.

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