The atmosphere is very different from recent weeks. Friday, May 17, in Tbilisi, Georgia, liturgical and polyphonic chants replaced the whistles that have sounded for a month in front of Parliament to demand the withdrawal of the controversial bill on “foreign influence”. The crowd also has a different appearance: few young people, but families, elderly people and priests in abundance. From the morning, tens of thousands of Georgians flocked to the capital to participate in the “Day of Family Purity”, which defends so-called traditional values in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus.
This celebration, launched in 2014 by the Georgian Orthodox Church, deliberately coincides with the World Day Against Homophobia. But this year, it was above all a question of making a show of force for the government, booed every evening by thousands of demonstrators since the reintroduction of its bill, modeled on a Russian law and aimed at silencing society. civil society and independent media.
Several leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, joined the procession to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the largest church in the city, the construction of which was financed by the country’s strongman, Bidzina Ivanishvili. The government has also officially declared this day a national holiday and public holiday in 2024.
“Homophobic propaganda”
Aware of the risk of provocations and confrontation, opponents of the bill on “foreign influence” called for no demonstrations that day. “The government wants to show that it is stronger than the demonstrators, sighs David Matiachvili, a 22-year-old journalism student present to cover the march. Most of the people who came today are civil servants, they know very well that if they don’t come, they could lose their jobs. But some of them are there out of conviction, he adds. It’s homophobic propaganda day, people are there against LGBT people. »
In the procession, most defend the idea that “family is a mom and dad”. “We are here to defend the purity of family values, and express our loyalty to our traditions and to the State”, says Tamar Khorgouani, 60, who came with her daughter and grandson. Like many participants, this Orthodox believer displays great hostility towards sexual minorities. She is also convinced that “Europeans want to force Georgians to adopt same-sex marriage in order to enter the European Union”. “Georgia has no other alternative than Europe, but it must accept us as we are, with our values and our dignity! “, she assures.
You have 56.22% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.