On July 8, 2023, a group mobilized by the pro-Russian and anti-liberal “Conservative Movement” party disrupted the planned “Tbilisi Pride Fest” in the vicinity of Lisi Lake and destroyed the constructions designated for the festival.
After the violent incident, representatives and supporters of the pro-Kremlin “Alt-Info” and other anti-liberal groups published a number of photos and videos depicting the area around Lisi Lake. For example, the leader of “Georgian Idea” Levan Chachua, as well as the Facebook pages (1, 2) and Facebook accounts (1, 2, 3, 4), have been circulating the shots depicting a white construction placed on the festival site. According to them, it is a figure of a satanic deity called “Moloch,” which is associated with child sacrifice.
The claim, as if “Tbilisi Pride” placed an installation of a satanic deity – Moloch, at the “Pride Festival,” which is associated with child sacrifice, is disinformation. In fact, the said installation belongs to “Tbilisi Open Air”; it is inspired by Irakli Keidia’s book. It is a part of the decoration of the festival and has nothing to do with Moloch or any other deity.
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The installation is part of “Tbilisi Open Air’s” festival decorations and has nothing to do with Moloch
In order to verify the claim, “Myth Detector” contacted representatives of “Tbilisi Pride” and “Tbilisi Open Air.” According to the co-director of “Tbilisi Pride”, Mariam Kvaratskhelia, the construction does not belong to them. “Tbilisi Pride” rented only a small part of the territory adjacent to Lisi, and the mentioned construction has been located in the festival area of “Tbilisi Open Air” for several years.
Keta Donadze, co-founder of Eye Stage, one of the stages of “Tbilisi Open Air”, stated in a telephone conversation with “Myth Detector” that the installation is the property of Eye Stage, it was part of the festival’s decoration and was illuminated with 3-dimensional visuals after dark. Donadze notes that the installation was inspired by the book “Anunakebi” by the Georgian writer Irakli Keidia and was created with the participation of Keidia himself.
As for Moloch, which the authors of the posts associated with the installation located in the vicinity of Lisi Lake, it is a Canaanite deity associated with the practice of child sacrifice in biblical sources. From the medieval Ages, Moloch was depicted as a figure with the head of a bull.
For more details about the conspiracies and misinformation spread about Moloch and Baphomet, see the article prepared by “Myth Detector:”
In order to disrupt the “Pride Festival” planned on July 8, the groups mobilized by “Alt-Info” gathered in the vicinity of the Vazha-Pshavela monument since early morning. After arriving in the area around Lisi Lake, the violent groups destroyed the stage and stage equipment intended for the “Pride Festival”, and burned some of the equipment. The organizers were taken away from the festival area by evacuation minibusses by the police. After raiding the area, the estimated damage exceeded 10 thousand GEL. It should be noted that anti-liberal groups were planning to disrupt the festival since June; they were also collecting money to mobilize people from the regions.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has started an investigation into the raid on the Pride festival.
About the Source
The Facebook accounts that have disseminated disinformation about the placement of the satanic installation in the vicinity of Lisi Lake have published false information many times before. For more information, see the “Myth Detector” articles:
Levan Chachua:
- Fabricated Statement about Ortodoxy in the Name of Giorgi Maisuradze (in Georgian)
- Manipulative Claims about the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Conservative Movement Rustavi
- Has the Easter Divine service been banned in Kyiv? (in Georgian)
- Kremlin Media Disseminates a Conspiracy about the Blackening of Crosses of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Strizhaki Lia
- What Does the Painting of the Virgin Mary Gifted to the Pope by Zelenskyy Represent?
- Fabricated Quote in the Name of the Head of Tbilisi Pride
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