Pride participants have the right to come out and express their opinion – Zurabishvili

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, responds to the Pride march planned by the Tbilisi Pride and says that all forms of violence, threats, pressure and hate speech are unacceptable to her.

According to Zurabishvili, she believes that everyone has the right to exercise freedom of speech

"All forms of violence, threats, pressure and hate speech are unacceptable to me! It is unacceptable because it is a violation of the constitutional rights of the people. It is unacceptable to me as a guarantor and defender of the Constitution.

I believe that everyone has the right to exercise their freedom of speech. It is our inherent tolerance that is part of our identity. Our country was built on this and will develop on it tomorrow as well. That is why I also believe that everyone has the right to speak. Also, the participants of Tbilisi Pride have the right to express their opinion and exercise the right, which is a constitutional right of all, in accordance with the norms established by the Constitution and the law. This is important for our country and our unity! ", - Salome Zurabishvili writes.

For reference, from July 1 to 5, there will be a Tbilisi pride week in the country, and on July 5, will be held the Pride march. Homophobic and violent groups are threatening to disrupt the march, though the Tbilisi Pride organizers are not willing to change their plan.