The Interior Ministry said on November 9 that the police detained 27 persons, including 24 – in Tbilisi and 3 – in Batumi during the protest rallies against the Georgian premiere of “And Then We Danced”, a Georgian-Swedish film with gay protagonists. All of them have been charged with disobeying police orders and hooliganism.
One more person was arrested and charged under article 126 (violence) of the criminal code of Georgia for the attack against civic activist Ana Subeliani who was hospitalized with a trauma to her head.
The Interior Ministry also stated that the investigation has been launched into three more criminal cases, involving the facts of violence against Davit Berdzenishvili, leader of the Republican Party, attack on police officers as well as damage of a police car.
The Interior Ministry noted that police will “ensure public security and order” during the screenings planned on November 9 and 10.
Radical groups expressed their protest against the Georgian premiere of “And Then We Danced,” Georgian gay dance romance by Levan Akin several days before the premiere, vowing to disrupt “propaganda of homosexuality” in the country. The Georgian Orthodox Church also expressed negative position towards the film.
The film screening will continue in Tbilisi and Batumi on November 9 and 10, with extremist hate groups vowing to protest again.
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