A mob storms Tbilisi Pride Fest site, forcing the event’s cancellation

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Hundreds of opponents of gay rights have swarmed the site of an LGBT festival in the capital of the country of Georgia, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the event’s bar. Deputy Georgian Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said participants in the Tbilisi Pride Fest were safely evacuated from the scene. The event’s organizers called on people not to come to the lakeside park where the festival was to be held. Georgian news media estimated about 5,000 people marched toward the site. Many of them waved Georgian flags and carried religious icons. Animosity toward sexual minorities is strong in Georgia and some previous LGBT events have met disruptions.