(Read the full article on civil.ge)

“Tbilisi Pride participants have the right to express themselves,” President Salome Zurabishvili stressed in a statement decrying violence and hate speech on July 1, the first day of the Pride Week celebrations, CIVIL.GE reported.

“Any use of violence, threats, pressure and hate speech is unacceptable because this violates the people’s constitutional rights,” the President said. The statement comes as the Georgian Orthodox Church has spoken against Tbilisi Pride, while far-right and conservative groups are planning counter-rallies.

Stressing that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and assembly, President Zurabishvili said it is important for the country’s unity for the Tbilisi Pride activists to benefit from the said rights.