Press Scanner
Compiled by Messenger Staff
Tuesday, August 17
Irakli Kakabadze plans to file a claim against Saakashvili
Georgia’s Saakashvili has yet another problem. Kronika writes that a group of young writers plan to take a case to the Hague court against Saakashvili with the accusation of racism. In one of his speech's Saakashvili used the phrase “We are not negroes” as a statement. The idea belongs to a young writer Irakli Kakabadze, who recently arrived from USA.
“We are going to take judicial measures. This was obvious racist statement from the top official and we will not leave this case until the court discusses it. When you are a country’s president you are obligated to be moderate,” Kakabadze said.
On August 14 Irakli Kakabadze and similar-minded people held a protest on George W Bush Street. They painted the poster of Bush, demanded the renaming the central George W. Bush Street as Walt Whitman Street and read poems by Whitman. "George Bush is not a symbol of America. When we speak of America we should think of brave ideas, freedom of spirit and those cultural innovations with which America changed the world for the better. According to the rally's participants, Walt Whitman is the representative of this tradition.
As soon as the police appeared at the rally, Kakabadze read a poem “Dogs, dogs,” ( a Soviet time slang nick- name of the police) Policemen detained Kakabadze together with three other participants of the rally but they were released soon after, having paid a GEL 400 administrative fine.
Burjanadze says government arranged provocations against her
In her interview with Asaval-Dasavali, Nino Burjanadze, Leader of Democratic Movement – United Georgia, talked about her trip to the IDP settlement in the village of Khurvaleti, Gori district. “We wanted to find out IDPs' opinion about the current reality, how they assess it and in what kind of conditions they live. I do not know of any event when a neighbour stops you and asks, 'Why are you visiting my neighbour?' That’s why I see a clear pre-planned provocation by the government,” Burjanadze said.
“There were some poor people and there were guys with expensive cars and mobile phones, who were not IDPs and poor. They wanted us to be in similar situation to when Saakashvili ran as he saw Russian aircraft in Gori after the August war. Then they would say it was as if the IDPs threw stones at Burjanadze.”
Burjanadze says that about 50 persons were active at the meeting. However many more people live in this settlement. No-one appeared from other houses, they simply looked from the window. Several women dared to come out of their houses and were very sorry for this fact, they apologised and said that they could not dare to speak with her loudly as they were afraid of losing jobs and other unpleasant events. “On the one hand I can understand those people but I can say that if those people will not speak and defend their dignity we will never be able to build an honourable country,” she concluded.
Georgia’s Saakashvili has yet another problem. Kronika writes that a group of young writers plan to take a case to the Hague court against Saakashvili with the accusation of racism. In one of his speech's Saakashvili used the phrase “We are not negroes” as a statement. The idea belongs to a young writer Irakli Kakabadze, who recently arrived from USA.
“We are going to take judicial measures. This was obvious racist statement from the top official and we will not leave this case until the court discusses it. When you are a country’s president you are obligated to be moderate,” Kakabadze said.
On August 14 Irakli Kakabadze and similar-minded people held a protest on George W Bush Street. They painted the poster of Bush, demanded the renaming the central George W. Bush Street as Walt Whitman Street and read poems by Whitman. "George Bush is not a symbol of America. When we speak of America we should think of brave ideas, freedom of spirit and those cultural innovations with which America changed the world for the better. According to the rally's participants, Walt Whitman is the representative of this tradition.
As soon as the police appeared at the rally, Kakabadze read a poem “Dogs, dogs,” ( a Soviet time slang nick- name of the police) Policemen detained Kakabadze together with three other participants of the rally but they were released soon after, having paid a GEL 400 administrative fine.
Burjanadze says government arranged provocations against her
In her interview with Asaval-Dasavali, Nino Burjanadze, Leader of Democratic Movement – United Georgia, talked about her trip to the IDP settlement in the village of Khurvaleti, Gori district. “We wanted to find out IDPs' opinion about the current reality, how they assess it and in what kind of conditions they live. I do not know of any event when a neighbour stops you and asks, 'Why are you visiting my neighbour?' That’s why I see a clear pre-planned provocation by the government,” Burjanadze said.
“There were some poor people and there were guys with expensive cars and mobile phones, who were not IDPs and poor. They wanted us to be in similar situation to when Saakashvili ran as he saw Russian aircraft in Gori after the August war. Then they would say it was as if the IDPs threw stones at Burjanadze.”
Burjanadze says that about 50 persons were active at the meeting. However many more people live in this settlement. No-one appeared from other houses, they simply looked from the window. Several women dared to come out of their houses and were very sorry for this fact, they apologised and said that they could not dare to speak with her loudly as they were afraid of losing jobs and other unpleasant events. “On the one hand I can understand those people but I can say that if those people will not speak and defend their dignity we will never be able to build an honourable country,” she concluded.