PM Garibashvili says gov’t opponents also fight church, patriarch

"The main task of opponents of the Georgian government is to discredit all the authorities in the country, including church and patriarch", Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has said today.

Garibashvili said fighting against the church is a well-thought conspiracy against Georgia and the Georgian people. 

“The first task of our [the Georgian gov’t] opponents is to discredit all the authorities… That is why they are fighting against the church, the Patriarch, that’s why they were inventing a thousand provocations, were standing behind the LGBT march campaign and organising provocations”, said Garibashvili while talking about July 5-6 Tbilisi Pride counter rallies, when dozens of journalists were attacked by right-wing groups.

Garibashvili said attacking media representatives was a ‘catastrophic mistake’ which they all [the Georgian gov’t officials] had condemned several times.

A total of 53 journalists of various media outlets were injured while covering the rally of right-wing activists against the Tbilisi Pride march on July 5, 2021.

• UPDATE: 53 journalists attacked by right wing activists protesting Tbilisi pride today
• PM Garibashvili condemns violence against journalists at Tbilisi Pride counter rally

“The most important is that all abusers have been arrested. WE [gov’t officials] know very well from whom the provocation and conspiracy against the public came from”, said Garibashvili.

Irakli Garibashvili also noted that now it is necessary to hold October 2 municipal elections in a calm environment. He said the next three years should be ‘the years of development, construction and reconstruction’.