Church criticizes Georgian president's request for schools to support protests
A church in Georgia criticizes the president's appeal for schools to support protests, expressing concern that urging minors to engage in riots is "extremely disturbing." Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Georgian Orthodox Church's Patriarchate has condemned President Salome Zourabichvili's encouragement for schools to support the ongoing pro-EU protests in Tbilisi, particularly citing the violent actions of certain rioters.
Statements “aimed at inciting the involvement of schoolchildren and, in general, minors, especially [such statements] made by the country’s president, are extremely disturbing,” the Patriarchate declared on Tuesday, according to local media reports.
In a show of solidarity, hundreds of university lecturers previously voiced their support for the protests, urging their students to participate.
The Church emphasized that instead of provoking unrest, the president “should work to reduce the polarization and hatred in society, so that the mental and physical health of the future generation will not be harmed by the current events.”
In a Facebook post, the head of the Georgian Patriarchate’s press service, Archpriest Andria Dzhagmaidze, took a jab at Zourabichvili, saying, “Madam Salome, I hope that, after schools, you will not call on kindergartens to participate in protests.”
The Patriarchate’s comments came after Zourabichvili posted on X on Monday, saying, “After universities, it is the turn of schools to express their solidarity with the protests, all over Georgia.”
It remains unclear whether Zourabichvili was urging minors and teenagers to take to the streets or asking schools to publicly support the protests.
The mass protests initially erupted following the outcome of the general election in early November. Tensions escalated last week after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that discussions regarding Georgia's EU accession would be frozen until 2028, criticizing Brussels for its “constant blackmail and manipulation” of Georgia's internal affairs.
Kobakhidze characterized the protests as an “attack on the constitutional order in the country” and accused Western interests of attempting to orchestrate a coup akin to the 2014 US-backed Maidan revolution in Ukraine, cautioning that such a scenario “cannot be realized in Georgia.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Statements “aimed at inciting the involvement of schoolchildren and, in general, minors, especially [such statements] made by the country’s president, are extremely disturbing,” the Patriarchate declared on Tuesday, according to local media reports.
In a show of solidarity, hundreds of university lecturers previously voiced their support for the protests, urging their students to participate.
The Church emphasized that instead of provoking unrest, the president “should work to reduce the polarization and hatred in society, so that the mental and physical health of the future generation will not be harmed by the current events.”
In a Facebook post, the head of the Georgian Patriarchate’s press service, Archpriest Andria Dzhagmaidze, took a jab at Zourabichvili, saying, “Madam Salome, I hope that, after schools, you will not call on kindergartens to participate in protests.”
The Patriarchate’s comments came after Zourabichvili posted on X on Monday, saying, “After universities, it is the turn of schools to express their solidarity with the protests, all over Georgia.”
It remains unclear whether Zourabichvili was urging minors and teenagers to take to the streets or asking schools to publicly support the protests.
The mass protests initially erupted following the outcome of the general election in early November. Tensions escalated last week after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that discussions regarding Georgia's EU accession would be frozen until 2028, criticizing Brussels for its “constant blackmail and manipulation” of Georgia's internal affairs.
Kobakhidze characterized the protests as an “attack on the constitutional order in the country” and accused Western interests of attempting to orchestrate a coup akin to the 2014 US-backed Maidan revolution in Ukraine, cautioning that such a scenario “cannot be realized in Georgia.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
