Thousands of people led by Orthodox Christian priests surged through police cordons in the Georgian capital Tbilisi yesterday and attacked a group of about 50 gay rights demonstrators.
Carrying banners reading “No to mental genocide” and “No to gays,” the masses of mostly young men threw rocks and eggs at the demonstrators.
The police pushed most of the demonstrators onto yellow minibuses to take them from the scene. However, the attackers swarmed the buses, trying to break the windows with metal gratings, rubbish bins and rocks.
At least 12 people were injured, including three police officers and eight or nine of the gay rights marchers.