On 6 July, more than 100 violent far-right activists were arrested in Tbilisi for throwing stones, glass, bottles, and pieces of iron rod at protesters who gathered near the parliament for the For Freedom rally.

68 of the detained were released on bail, while 32 remained in a temporary detention centre and criminal cases have been launched against two individuals. As a result of the actions of radical groups, three police officers were injured, and several police cars were damaged.

The For Freedom rally was announced by politicians in response to the violence against journalists and civil activists that took place during the 5 July homophobic rallies in Tbilisi. Radicals periodically tried to break through the cordons and interfere with the rally which was also joined by representatives of the LGBT community. They threw stones, bottles, and eggs at the protesters and policemen. The rally ended after midnight. When the participants of the For Freedom rally left the territory, the square near the parliament was occupied by homophobes from various ultra-conservative and anti-Western organisations. They tore down and burned the EU flag, which was hoisted on a flagpole outside the country’s main legislative body. Even though police were seeing donning riot gear earlier in the night, and footage from Rustavi 2 channel showed law enforcement vehicles equipped with water cannons entering the avenue, there was no dispersal of the right-wing demonstrators using these means during the night.

The leader of the ultra-conservative anti-Pride group Guram Palavandishvili emphasised at the rally that they “do not obey the Constitution that violates ten concepts.” “They (the For Freedom protesters) do not have the right to take to the streets and fly flags. We have to oust them. I wish everyone recovery, but if we want to find a reason, the reason is the violence of journalists against the society,” he stated. The Georgian Orthodox Church called the demonstrators for peace and restraint. “Mounting tensions, verbal abuses and hate speech is intolerable. The violence will hurt all – individuals, society and statehood,” the statement read.

Afterwards, the speaker of the Georgian parliament Kakha Kuchava raised the EU flag which was lowered during the rally. “Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures is a historic choice of the Georgian people, and we will definitely move forward on this path! Lowering the EU flag is unacceptable. Our strategic partners are constantly guarding Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Their contribution to the development of Georgia is invaluable. We must remember that we all have one homeland, whose history, traditions and religion have nothing to do with violence,” Kuchava stated. 

Georgian opposition parties have condemned the failure of the Georgian government to adequately respond to violence. Parliamentary faction Charles Michel has asked for a hearing with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri to answer the opposition’s questions.  “According to our faction, this was an organised crime by the government, which was also planned by the Patriarchate, by organising specific marginal groups on Rustaveli Avenue,” said Khatuna Samnidze from the faction of the Charles Michel Reforms Group. “The government should resign at such time... the Ministry of Internal Affairs completely lost its face and could not protect the citizens of Georgia,” said the leader of Strategy Agmashenebeli Giorgi Vashadze. “The policy pursued by the (ruling) Georgian Dream is a Russian policy, it brings the country to a standstill, deepens hopelessness and nihilism... It is an attempt to suppress free speech,” said the leader of the Lelo party Mamuka Khazaradze. “It was the responsibility of the authorities not to encourage violence but to prevent it. Unfortunately, they could not do that. Now they will punish or not punish someone exemplarily and ostensibly and unfortunately the image of the country will suffer again,” said Natia Mezvrishvili from the “For Georgia” party.

The US Department of State condemned the events. “We do condemn the violent attacks in Georgia that took place on civic activists, on community members, on journalists. Georgia’s leaders, its law enforcement officials – they are obligated to protect the constitutional rights to freedom of expression, to freedom of assembly, and to prosecute those perpetrating violence,” said the Departments spokesperson Ned Price. “And we remind Georgia’s political leaders, we remind its law enforcement officials and institutions of that responsibility to protect all of those exercising their constitutional rights, to protect journalists exercising freedom of the press, and to publicly condemn the violence. The United States Embassy in Georgia signed on to a joint statement along with several other missions on the ground. So, it’s not just the United States speaking up about this; it’s several of our like-minded partners as well,” he further underlined.

The spokesperson of the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) Peter Stano also condemned the attacks. “Respecting and protecting fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly is a basic task of any government in a democracy, especially one that aspires for closer ties with the European Union. Law enforcement authorities have the responsibility to uphold a safe and secure environment for those exercising these rights, including for media representatives. Acts of violence need to be investigated swiftly and thoroughly. The objective of combatting all forms of discrimination rests on the principle of equality as enshrined in the Georgian Constitution and is codified by law. Georgia needs to step up efforts to end all forms of discrimination, including based on gender and sexual orientation, and to better protect the rights of LGBTIQ people. These principles are also important in the context of developing EU-Georgia cooperation,” Stano stated.  

The EU Council President Charles Michel stated in relation to the events that LGBTQI+ rights “were not a marginal issue.” “LGBTQI+ rights are not a marginal issue. They are concrete examples of how society relates to diversity. And how it relates to human dignity. It touches on our most intimate thoughts and beliefs: our fundamental liberties. In the European Union, we don’t discriminate. We integrate,” he emphasised.