TBILISI, September 24 – An EU-funded music festival in Georgia has been postponed over safety concerns after a musician said threats forced him to cancel.
The decision has sparked a dispute between Georgia’s ruling party and the EU delegation in Tbilisi.
The Danish Cultural Institute, which was involved in organizing the Kamara festival, announced that it could not go ahead as planned for safety reasons. The festival was part of Creative Compass Georgia, a project funded by the European Union.
Musician Aleksandre Kordzaia, who performs as Kordz, had been due to play at Art House in Gori as part of the festival. In a social media post, he said he had canceled his concert because attacks and threats from local authorities, members of the ruling Georgian Dream party and pro-government media meant that safety at the venue could not be guaranteed.
In a statement on Thursday, the EU delegation expressed regret that the organizers had postponed the festival over safety concerns. It said the EU had supported Georgia’s cultural sector for 30 years and remained committed to freedom of creative expression.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili sharply criticized that response. He accused the EU delegation of defending a musician whom he said had publicly insulted Georgian Dream supporters, while failing to address concerns about the use of EU funding for his performance. Papuashvili characterized the delegation’s statement as encouragement of abusive political speech and rejected its appeal to freedom of expression.
Irakli Kirtskhalia, leader of the parliamentary majority, also questioned the EU’s handling of the event. He called on the delegation to explain its standards for funding and organizing activities in Georgia, including how it selects participants and addresses public safety concerns.
