Georgian Church on June 20 rally: gov’t ‘made a mistake’, opposition ‘made wrong calls’
The Georgian patriarchate urges the government to study the reasons for yesterday’s events.Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The Georgian Patriarchate says the government made a mistake which made people rally in central Tbilisi yesterday and that the opposition has been making ‘incorrect calls’ which gave rise to tensions during the demonstration.
The Patriarchate says that thousands of Georgians took to the streets with love for their homeland to express a “fair disappointment” regarding the presence of a Russian MP in the Georgian parliament, who voted for the occupation of Georgian territories.
It was the government’s mistake which caused a fair, peaceful protest in public. However, wrong appeals changed the nature of the rally, made it dangerous and encouraged people forcibly take the parliament building,” the patriarchate says.
The Patriarchate says that love of the homeland made people protest. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The church believes that the government “must urgently investigate” the reasons behind the tension and the state agencies, experts and the media provide unbiased assessments regarding the reasons and their consequences.
Such a conduct will allow people analyse the situation and calm them down, which will ensure peace and avoid confrontations,” Patriarchate reported.
A rally triggered by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament was dispersed yesterday by police after demonstrators ignored the appeal of the Interior Ministry to obey law enforcers and decided to break into the parliament building.
240 people were hospitalised after the incident, with 102 still remaining in hospitals.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili [an organiser of the assembly in Georgia] resigned earlier today.
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović has called on "all sides" of the clashes in Tbilisi to "resolve any controversies through peaceful dialogue" after the confrontation left 240 individuals injured on Thursday night.
Human Rights Watch has reacted to the June 20 demonstration in Tbilisi, triggered by the presence of Russian MPs in Georgia, and urged the Georgian government to investigate the use of force during the rally which left 240 injured.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has resigned amid public protests after a Russian MP addressed the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy from the chair of the Georgian parliament speaker in Tbilisi yesterday.
Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that “destructive opposition forces,” which managed to transform the Georgian people’s “fair and sincere protest” into violence, fled the scene when unrest erupted and abandoned demonstrators.
People started gathering on Rustaveli Avenue at 7 p.m. today, after a rally was held and dispersed at the same place in front of the parliament yesterday. Many demonstrators have negatively reacted to the speeches of opposition leaders, stating that they came to protect the state interests and not to stand by any opposition force.
32 journalists received injuries during the June 20 demonstration in Tbilisi, many of them were shot by rubber bullet shots, the Georgian Charter of Journalist Ethics said earlier today.
Russian officials on Friday called for boycott of tourism and trade relations with Georgia following what President Putin's administration called a "Russophobic provocation" in Tbilisi clashes the previous day.
The official Kremlin response decried the events as a "dangerous display", while the State Duma's Tourism Committee head called for boycott of Georgian tourist resorts and trade goods, among reactions.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has announced that they are ready to conduct the 2020 parliamentary elections on the proportional electoral system only, which has been one of the top demands of demonstrators gathered in Tbilisi since June 20.
Thirteen people remain hospitalized out of the 240 who were injured during June 20 Tbilisi protests. Head of Emergency Management Center of Georgia Avtandil Talakvadze said two of the injured are in intensive care department.