Electronic party and conflict with the police: How the rave brought the country to its feet

It is no coincidence that "Bassiani", a nightclub at the crossroads of Tbilisi's club scene, which today is considered one of the most interesting in the world, was named after a 13th-century battle that was decisive for Georgia's independence. Today, Georgia finds itself more in a cultural conflict, between the past and the future.

Clubs such as Bassiani and Cafe Gallery are on the front lines of that conflict, as police raids on those clubs last Sunday angered the city's ravers and prompted them to stage demonstrations. And not only them.

In a country where the Orthodox Church still has a huge influence, where homophobia is very widespread, and the state has zero tolerance for drugs, which is why its residents can end up behind bars for a long period just because traces of marijuana were found in their bodies, the mentioned clubs they form the kind of space that is characteristic of the most liberal, cosmopolitan cities. Both clubs are explicitly LGBT-friendly, and Bassiani is also home to the White Noise Movement, an activist group fighting against Georgia's harsh drug laws.

Last week, members of the Georgian special police barged into these clubs, armed to the teeth, and detained around 60 people, including club founders Tata Getija and Zvijad Gelbakiani, who, according to some media reports, was even beaten. The authorities justified the raids as a response to five drug-related deaths in the previous two weeks, which they claimed were linked to "Bassiani". The club, on the other hand, denied that these tragic deaths had anything to do with them, and pointed out that these accusations and raids are actually an attempt by right-wing political forces to discredit "Bassiani" and similar places.

However, the authorities in Georgia certainly did not expect this kind of response - after the news about police violence in the aforementioned clubs, thousands of young people gathered in front of the Parliament building and launched a day-long rave protest demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Interior and the Prime Minister. A protest camp was set up, and Tbilisi's liberal youth gave the authorities the middle finger by rocking out to what one Twitter commentator called "horribly exhausting music" all last week in front of Parliament, while messages of support poured in from all over the world, from known by famous DJs, clubs, promoters and electronic music fans in general. The protests were covered by media such as "The Guardian" and "BBC", even a satellite broadcast was organized in front of the Georgian embassy in Berlin.

It may seem strange to some that police raids on two clubs have provoked such a strong response. Spending time in those clubs would be dismissed by many as cheap entertainment that has little to do with music and culture. But for many people there, and around the world, clubbing is an essential ritual, driving some of the most beautiful things that have happened in their lives - from individual moments to the many friendships made there to the creative inspiration these clubs offer. In clubs like "Bassiani" a radical idea of ​​what Georgia could look like in the future, as a more open and liberal place for everyone, was created. This contrasts with the dominant post-Soviet conservative ideology that reigns in that country.

Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gaharia publicly apologized for the armed raids on protesters and promised that the authorities would work to loosen laws related to soft drugs, "and if they don't fulfill the promise, at least everyone will be able to dance and have fun in a free city." . And while right-wing organizations in Tbilisi are already preparing a response to the protests, which they see as "LGBT and dealer propaganda", we will see how these events will affect Georgian society.

What is certain is that in a time when spending time at electronic parties is seen more as a hedonistic atmosphere, ravers in Tblisi have shown that this culture is much more than the need of young people to have fun and relax. After the late 80s in Britain and the early 90s in Germany, Tbilisi showed that even in this decade it is still a cultural phenomenon so powerful that people risk violence and arrest to preserve it, drawing the world's attention to their city and perhaps significantly influencing the course of history in Georgia.

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