Anti-Gay Riot In Tblisi Tests Balance Between Church, State

[DriftingCrow]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/07/30/204511294/GEORGIA-CHURCH-ANTI-GAY-RIOT
Author: Corey Flintoff Source: NPR

[Audio clip 4 min 52 secs long; also short article]

"The former Soviet republic of Georgia is contending with the aftermath of an episode of mass violence that took place in May. In Georgia's capital city, Tblisi, a mob of thousands attacked a small group of people who were staging a protest against homophobia. The leaders of the attack? Georgian Orthodox priests. The episode raised issues about human rights in a religiously conservative country, as well as questions about the balance of power between church and state."

"Lasha Bakradze, the head of the Georgian Literature Museum in Tblisi, helped organize an online petition against homophobic violence. He says more than 12,000 people signed the petition in its first two days online. The mass violence on May 17 isn't just about sexual orientation and traditional values, Bakradze says, it's a demonstration of power by extremists who have made their way into the higher levels of the church. "I think that the church in Georgia has shown to the government how powerful [it is] ... and it's dangerous, and it's against Georgian statehood," he says."