Lawyer Tamar Gurchiani responded to the statement of “Rioni Defenders” that they are distancing themselves from Tbilisi Pride on Facebook.
“You cannot build a state and you cannot protect the Valley if you do not protect the people. There is no common good that can be achieved by oppressing and neglecting a person, especially a person who has already been oppressed by the majority.
We all know that July 4 is the independence day in America. On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglas uttered the famous quote, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” By this time the Thirteenth Amendment (1865) had not yet been adopted and black people were still living in slavery.
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”
I wish you victory in saving the Rioni Valley; but I urge you to think about what your victory means to others.”
“Rioni Valley Defenders” issued a statement today stating that the idea of ”Tbilisi Pride” week is unequivocally propaganda of a non-traditional way of life, goes against public opinion, expresses only the narrow interests of a certain group and is directed against civil unity.
