Georgia’s Parliament Speaker accuses EU of "encouraging radicalism"

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the European Union of encouraging “hate speech,” fascism and radicalism following a statement by the EU Delegation to Georgia on the cancellation of the Kamara festival, which was due to feature musician Kordz.

Papuashvili said EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski should have recognized that support for hatred and violence was unacceptable in Georgia. 

“What the embassy has published now is a direct encouragement of hate speech, public abuse of mothers, calling people ‘slaves,’ fascism and radicalism,” he said.

Papuashvili also argued that the EU Delegation’s position reflected a failure to understand the situation in Georgia.

To note, the concert was planned to take place on September 26 as part of the Kamara festival, organized by the Danish Cultural Institute as part of the Creative Compass project funded by the EU and co-funded by Goethe-Institut Georgia. However, the Danish Cultural Institute said late on September 23 that the festival “cannot take place as planned and has therefore been postponed,” citing “security considerations.”

By Vafa Guliyeva