Published
Thu, Mar 9, 2023, 09:00
- Bassiani, Mtkvarze, KHIDI, Left Bank, Dedaena and TES are among the venues to have spoken out.
Some of Tbilisi's most prominent clubs have expressed solidarity with the protests that have swept the Georgian capital in recent days.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets after parliament backed the so-called "foreign agents" law, which critics say will restrict press freedom and civil liberties. The controversial bill would require non-governmental and media organisations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to declare themselves as "foreign agents," or face hefty fines and possible imprisonment.
The proposed law has been strongly condemned by Tbilisi's clubbing community. Speaking to Resident Advisor, Gacha Bakradze, cofounder of Tbilisi venue Left Bank, called it a "shameful act that would hold back our progress towards Western integration." He said the protests "are crucial in protecting the Georgian people's democratic values."
He added: "The proposed law is particularly problematic as it could result in the closure of critical public institutions within a few years. This would severely compromise Georgia's progress towards European integration, and jeopardise the principles of democracy and the rule of law [...] It's alarming that our government is making decisions that undermine Georgia's sovereignty and independence. We urge everyone to join the demonstration for the brighter future."
These concerns were echoed by Dedaena, a venue that described Europe as "the future" and said that it "will fight protecting it." Speaking to RA, a spokesperson said that Dedaena "is founded and run by a collective with the mutual understanding of building an equal, inclusive, democratic and free country." They added: "Our freedom was gained with a high price and now the pro-Russian government is trying to steal it from us."
Other clubs took to social media to express their views. Yesterday, March 8th, on Instagram, Bassiani wrote, "No to the Russian law against people!" KHIDI and TES also took to Instagram to cancel last night's shows in solidarity with the protests, while Mtkvarze described the bill as representing "another step towards authoritarianism, which will become a restricting tool in the hands of the government."
Read the Left Bank, Bassiani, KHIDI, TES and Mtkvarze posts in full.