Hippodrome, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2021
It should have just been a fun afternoon in Tbilisi’s old Hippodrome, but the planned punk festival, the first in ages because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, took a violent turn when a group of neo-Nazis decided to disrupt it apparently because of one track, გერჩი – ყარს (Georgien über allen), by Georgian punk band, Gerchi. A month ago, at one of their rehearsals, the band told me that something might happen as Georgian neo-Nazis were apparently being encouraged on a white supremacist forum to do something by their American counterparts. And that’s precisely what happened.
The neo-Nazis, of course, were outnumbered by the number of young Georgian punk fans in attendance and quickly seen off, but not before unconfirmed reports of some kind of gun being fired by one of them. Police arrived quickly and went in hot pursuit, detaining and handcuffing a few. Sadly, there were minors among them.
Hippodrome, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2021
Neo-Nazi groups have been increasingly visible in Tbilisi since at least 2015 and are just one part of a far-right ecosystem that also includes more traditional and conservative political groups. It was therefore encouraging to see so many Georgian media outlets cover the attack and approach me for permission to use the video and photo materials I shot of the incident.
These included Formula TV, Netgazeti, Radio Free Europe, and Voice of America. Formula also broadcast a 15-minute TV report which can be viewed here. Below is some of my footage shot on an iPhone used by VOA.
Hippodrome, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2021
As for the punk festival, it eventually resumed and it appeared as though the neo-Nazi attack had given both the bands and audience even greater energy.
Hippodrome, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2021
For more on the far-right and neo-Nazis in Georgia, including those responsible for the 2018 murder of Yezidi-Jewish human rights defender Vitali Safarov, see my August 2019 article, Georgia’s Far-Right Problem.
