Interior Ministry imposes administrative fines on 5 offenders for burning Parliament building’s EU flag
The individuals were fined ₾1000 (about $387) each, the Ministry said, noting the investigation was underway on a possible administrative violation and adding the number of offenders could increase. Photo via RFE/RL
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The Georgian Interior Ministry on Thursday said it imposed administrative fines on five individuals for desecration of the official symbol and the flag of the European Union, after a group of far-right activists had taken down and burned the EU flag from a pole in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi on Tuesday.
The individuals were fined ₾1000 (about $387) each, the Ministry said, noting the investigation was underway on a possible administrative violation and adding the number of offenders could increase.
The incident saw members and activists of the Conservative Movement political party of the Georgian right-wing media outlet Alt-Info on Tuesday taking down the EU flag and making pronouncements against the country’s European integration aspirations.
They replaced the EU symbol outside the legislative body with the Georgian flag and demanded a referendum on the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by former members of the ruling party before the public protests and criticism from domestic opposition, civil sector and Georgia’s foreign partners against the draft law, which was retracted last week.
After the incident, the patrol police officers raised the EU flag back at the legislative body.
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Tuesday said it had launched administrative proceedings after a group of far-right activists took down and burned the European Union flag from a pole in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi earlier during the day.
Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, on Tuesday said taking down and burning the European Union flag had been not only an “impediment” to Georgia’s European path, but also an “insult” of Georgian people’s “historic choice”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said the European Union flag would be returned to the pole outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi “with due honour” after far-right activists took the symbol down and burned it in an incident earlier during the day.
The political party Conservative Movement of the Georgian right-wing media outlet Alt-Info has been officially registered by the National Agency of Public Registry on December 7.