Dozens of far-right protesters attempted to storm the house of a woman who allegedly defaced an icon featuring Georgian-born Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at the main cathedral in Tbilisi.
For Nata Peradze, who allegedly splashed paint on the icon, showcasing Stalin in church is “a weapon of influence.”
She began receiving death threats after she posted a 3-second video on Facebook, showing the icon covered in paint.
Sovlab, which studies Georgia’s Soviet past, said the icon depicts Stalin in a positive light, and that displaying it at the church was an insult to his victims.
Sovlab emphasized that up to 80,000 clergy were killed for their faith during Stalin’s rule, and demanded the government enforce a law forbidding the display of Soviet symbols in public spaces.
Officials from Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party dubbed the icon’s defacement as an “anti-Christian, anti-church and provocative act.”
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
Dozens of far-right protesters attempted to storm the house of a woman who allegedly defaced an icon featuring Georgian-born Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at the main cathedral in Tbilisi.
For Nata Peradze, who allegedly splashed paint on the icon, showcasing Stalin in church is “a weapon of influence.”
She began receiving death threats after she posted a 3-second video on Facebook, showing the icon covered in paint.
Sovlab, which studies Georgia’s Soviet past, said the icon depicts Stalin in a positive light, and that displaying it at the church was an insult to his victims.
Sovlab emphasized that up to 80,000 clergy were killed for their faith during Stalin’s rule, and demanded the government enforce a law forbidding the display of Soviet symbols in public spaces.
Officials from Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party dubbed the icon’s defacement as an “anti-Christian, anti-church and provocative act.”
The original article contains 361 words, the summary contains 144 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!