‘Handful of extremists’: Moscow demands punishment for protesters in Georgia over Russian Language Day celebrations
Tbilisi protest against Russian Language Day
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned a protest held in Tbilisi on June 6 against an event marking Russian Language Day, calling its participants “extremists.”
On June 6, the birthday of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, representatives of the Russian Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Georgia marked Russian Language Day in a Tbilisi park named after the poet. Members of the civic movement Georgian Republic protested the event.
“It was a handful of extremists. Russian Language Day has become an integral part of Georgia’s cultural heritage, its people, and its culture, and one of the symbols of friendship and mutual understanding between nations,” Zakharova said.
She added Moscow expects Georgian law enforcement to “draw conclusions and properly assess the actions of radicals, extremists, and hooligans.”
“Notably, on the same day, a similar event involving students and teachers from Georgian schools took place in Batumi without any incidents. It is also important that, during the celebration, works by Pushkin dedicated to Georgia were performed. What remarkable lines he devoted to these places!” Zakharova said.
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