Tbilisi Pride March of Dignity will not be held today. Such a statement was released by the Tbilisi Pride.

“The actions of the Government have once again made it clear that the political authorities do not want to carry out their direct duties. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s shameful, violent, anti-state and anti-Western statement, in which he shifted responsibility and vectors of aggression to activists, is a continuation of coordinated violent, Russian policy of our political government, the Georgian Patriarchate and pro-Russian groups.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, while having every opportunity to ensure the safety of Pride Week participants, did not take any effective measures to protect the fundamental rights of the people.

The members of Tbilisi Pride, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps had a number of meetings with the representatives of the MIA. They were aware of our action strategy, they were offered specific plans to ensure the safety of the march, however, instead of effective measures, we have been watching the encouragement of violent groups by government officials since the morning.

It was this inaction and the use of hate groups as a tool of political power that led to the raids on the offices of Tbilisi Pride and the Shame Movement, violence against journalists in front of the police - it is more than an obstruction of professional activities, it is a declared hunt for the media, for activists, for all those who believe in the idea of ​​equality.

Given the current events, we do not expect the MIA to adequately fulfill its duties, as we see that they do not respond to the facts of violence in front of them.

We call on the international community, opposition parties, NGOs, supporters and citizens of Georgia to clearly distance themselves from radical hate groups.

On behalf of Tbilisi Pride, we would like to state that the March of Dignity For Solidarity will not take place today”, - reads the statement.