Pole attacked with knife in Georgian capital

A Polish man was injured in a knife attack during demonstrations against a planned gay-rights march in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The injured man was hospitalised after right-wing demonstrators against the planned march assumed he was gay as he was wearing an earring, according to a Twitter post by a march organiser. PAP has been unable to ascertain whether the man was a journalist, as reported by local media.

The man, who is under the care of Polish consular services, has been visited in hospital by the Georgian economy minister, and he is expected to be released in five to seven days.

Local media reported that the police are not treating the incident as a hate crime but have launched an investigation into attempted murder, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The perpetrators have been arrested.

The gay pride march was planned for Monday in the Georgian capital but organisers called it off due to clashes with opponents.