- Pride is not only a global movement for the LGBTQ community to come together and show the flag, party, talk, and have fun, it’s also a big tourism event in many countries in the world.
- In the Republic of Georgia, hundreds rallied in the capital, Tbilisi, on Sunday after the death of Alexander Lashkarava, one of several journalists assaulted as violent groups ransacked an LBGT+ campaign office, prompting activists to call off a Pride Celebration in this country.
- The person in charge of the World Tourism Organization, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili did not want to comment on this problem in Georgia. Zurab is from Georgia.
IGLTA is an affiliated member of the UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization.
In 2019
UNWTO has a secretary-general from the Republic of Georgia who did not want to comment on a disturbing situation in his country after members of the LGBTQ community were attacked, forcing the cancellation of Gay Pride, a travel and tourism spectacular in many countries.
Scuffles broke out in Georgia’s parliament on Monday as journalists and opposition politicians tried to enter the lower house in protest over the death of a cameraman who was beaten up during violence against LGBT activists last week.
Hundreds rallied in the capital Tbilisi on Sunday after the death of Alexander Lashkarava, one of several journalists who were badly hurt as violent groups ransacked an LBGT+ campaign office, prompting activists to call off their pride march.
The US State Department on Tuesday called for calm in the republic of Georgia after the death of a cameraman beaten up during violence against LGBT activists and said those who attacked peaceful protesters and journalists should be prosecuted.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told a regular news briefing that Washington was following the situation in Georgia and was committed to seeing that those responsible are held accountable.
“The safety of every Georgian journalist, and the credibility of democracy and Georgia, in fact, require that every individual who attacked peaceful protesters, and journalists on July 5 and 6, or those who incited violence, they must be identified, they should be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Price said.
“We remind Georgia’s leaders and law enforcement of their responsibility to protect all of those exercising their constitutional rights. We remind them of their responsibility to protect journalists exercising the freedom of the press.”
