According to a Reuters report, a large demonstration took place in Tbilisi in order to demand severe punishment for a woman accused of defacing a religious icon showing Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, which was recently installed in the Georgian capital. The woman allegedly splashed paint on the icon, which was displayed in the main Holy Trinity Cathedral, in an act of protest that highlighted the deep divisions in Georgia over Stalin’s legacy in his homeland.
The protest was organized by Alt-Info, a pro-Russian ultra-conservative movement, which used a post on the Telegram messaging app to compare the act of “desecration” to the religious repression that occurred under Stalin’s regime.
As reported by Reuters, thousands of Orthodox believers and Alt-Info supporters gathered in front of the country’s parliament before marching through the city to the cathedral to pray before the Stalin icon. The police monitored the crowd, which was estimated to be up to 3,000 strong, and it was addressed by a speaker critical of the attack on the icon.
A Georgian nationalist party, called the Alliance of Patriots, also voiced pro-Russian views and claimed to have gifted the icon to the cathedral. The side panel of the icon includes a depiction of the Georgian-born Stalin being blessed by St Matrona of Moscow, a Russian Orthodox saint, during World War Two.
The Interpress news agency reported on Thursday that Georgia’s Orthodox church authorities said “appropriate changes” should be made to the icon, as there was insufficient evidence that Stalin ever met St Matrona. The police have opened an investigation into “petty hooliganism” and have questioned a suspect following the incident.
Some Orthodox Church activists and believers are calling for a criminal investigation and potentially jail time for the woman, while also advocating for tougher laws dealing with such incidents, as reported by local media. Flowers were placed by the icon on Saturday as believers lined up to kiss the part of it depicting Stalin. Some Georgian media outlets reported that Orthodox activists had previously attempted to storm the woman’s apartment in Tbilisi, but were stopped by the police.
(Reporting by Felix Light; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Mike Harrison)
