‘I’m in shock’: Fleming Remy Bonney, 28, narrowly escapes thousands of anti-LGBTQ protesters in Georgia | outside

“Everything was smashed by hooligans who have been out on the streets for years to destroy rainbow flags,” says Fleming Rémy Bonny, director of the European LGBTI organization Forbidden Colors, who was on his way to Tbilisi Pride. “Five minutes before we were due we got the message that we had to turn back immediately because it was getting too dangerous. It was a very stressful moment in the car. If you got the message five minutes late we might have been attacked by that gang of hooligans.”

According to Bonnie, he managed to escape “just in the nick of time” to a safe house. “I am now in shock and very nervous. I will be able to go back to Brussels soon. (For security reasons, he can’t say when, editor.), but people who stay here have to deal with this for the rest of their lives.” Remy can share his story from a safe house, but the situation is still delicate. “We managed to get all the activists and organizers to safety, but our stores are often denounced. It’s relatively safe now, but it’s still exciting.”

Both the organization of the event and the President of Georgia – who is often critical of the government – have been highly critical of the police action. They say they failed to maintain security. Bonnie joins this criticism. We are in contact with the police, but how much can we trust them? They promised that everything would be safe and that they took precautions, but now we are seeing the opposite. I’ve even seen footage of police officers hugging rioters.”