The Pride Festival, an outdoor, private event that was supposed to take place on July 8 at a distant Lisi lake in the Georgian city of Tbilisi, was not secured as the police had promised. The police escorted the marchers onto the camp rather than setting up a roadblock and were deployed in flimsy cordons that were easily overpowered and breached, despite the repeated claims of ultra-conservative groups that have engaged in violent acts that they were planning to attack the venue.

Far-right organizations gathered on Vazha Phshavela Avenue and publicly threatened to shut down the location for the festival, claiming that only "true Georgians" would be permitted to host events there. Girogi Kardava, one of the organization's leaders, described their strategy and said, "All three routes going to the region would be blocked. There won't be any festivities today. This will be guaranteed by the Georgian people." 

The police deployment failed to successfully dissuade anti-LGBT protesters, failing to create a secure atmosphere for the event to take place. The police withdrew the Tbilisi Pride organizers from the Pride area in reaction to the deteriorating situation and owing to a lack of protection from law enforcement.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, police could not control the crowd at the anti-LGBT march opposing the Pride Festival due to the large attendance, which forced organizers and attendees to leave. Although the violent groups were open about their intentions, Tbilisi Pride actively collaborated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the planning of Pride Week and claimed that the Ministry had given them solid security guarantees but had not followed through.

The far-right crowd stormed the festival area, destroyed decorations, burned LGBTQ+ flags, and tore down festival banners. Conservative Movement leader Zurab Makharadze deemed the event a victory and stated: "Now the most important thing for our people is not to be arrested."

Tbilisi Pride, the event's organizers, said that the Ministry of Interior and the violent extremist organization Alt-Info jointly orchestrated a brutal attack on Pride Fest. According to Tbilisi Pride, the police allegedly broke their promise to keep the festival safe, which claims that video footage demonstrates how the police and violent groups proceeded to the festival area in an unhindered and agreed manner. "Alt-info members encircled us, and the police forced us to leave the area using a transport that had been organized in beforehand," the report added. The statement's authors criticized the Ministry of Interior for hailing this forced evacuation as a success, claiming that, in reality, this was a prearranged step [between the police and extremists] that explains the police's passivity. Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Deputy Interior Minister, is criticized by Tbilisi Pride for personally pledging security at preparation meetings for the festival and even on the day of the event. "Instead, the police allowed Alt-Info members to trespass into the private and enclosed festival territory, to attack peaceful citizens, and to inflict irreparable emotional trauma on them," the information added.

Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, commented on the interruption of the Pridefest by claiming that the promise made by the Constitution of Georgia has been breached throughout the country today. According to her, everyone's right to freedom of speech is guaranteed under Article 17 of the Constitution, along with freedom of assembly, in Article 21. She emphasized that the Tbilisi Pride Week closing event should have been held in a private setting at the time and location planned by the organizers and prearranged with the law enforcement officials who had promised protection, and therefore all necessary measures should have been taken. Salome Zourabichvili called attention to how acting MPs and ruling party members used social media to organize the counter-rally. 

Georgia's Ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani, stated that the state is responsible for protecting the freedom of speech and demonstration, which the Georgian Constitution guarantees. Despite the pre-existing agreement, he pointed out, the Ministry of Internal Affairs neglected to adequately safeguard the area and take all necessary precautions, which led to the Pride celebration's failure. "The Public Defender requests that the Ministry of Interior defend everyone's right to free speech and assemble, especially in a secure setting. Additionally, to respond to all legal infractions promptly and appropriately," the report added.

Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said, "We noticed that the police were adequately present. Since nobody was wounded, the police could fulfill their duty of ensuring the public's safety. Regarding the individuals who resisted the police and the interruption of the event itself, we naturally condemn such acts of violence, and the police's response was justified. The fact that hostility interfered with the event is a concern. Knowing that there would be an effort to interrupt the event informed the police so I knew they were ready. The most crucial thing is that people's safety was safeguarded."

Read also: Public Unrest Feared as Georgian Orthodox Church Opposes Tbilisi Pride Week