On January 28, the Public Defender of Georgia made a statement regarding the vandalism that took place at the Evangelist-Baptist Church in the village of Akhalsopeli in Kvareli district.
According to his statement, the Church was twice vandalized in the last three months. On January 28, the parish found excrement in the corridor of the Church. Church properties, icons and various pieces of equipment were scattered on the floor and damaged. The local police officers investigated the incident and found that several youths between 11 and 12-years-old were responsible for the vandalism. The youths apologized to the Parish of the Baptist Church together with their parents but denied participating in the previous acts of vandalism.
The Public Defender said the incident of January 28 and the participation of the youths is really astonishing.
“When children of their age are so intolerant and participate in these types of acts of vandalism, we should be concerned about our entire society, our educational institutions and the state in general. We should also enact measures to resolve this problem. We should urgently take preventive measures, and implement serious educational activities to foster a more tolerant culture among youths,” the Public Defender said.
According to his statement, law enforcement officers should pay more attention to similar incidents and consider all factors which might impact and encourage youths to commit acts of violence. This should be studied very thoroughly, because youths are likely to be under the influence of certain people who encourage them to commit these violent acts.
The Public Defender calls upon the youths, their families, school administrations and teachers to realize how great the threat of intolerant propaganda is and how important educational activities are in eradicating negative stereotypes among the young generation and to reinforce a tolerant environment in society.
“We live in a country with many confessions where each citizen, regardless of their religious beliefs, enjoys equal rights; it is our centuries-long tradition and it is the essential basis for the development of the constitutional state. Thus, intolerance and hate crimes disregard our dignity, threatens the development of an equality-based society as well as its democratic values,” said the Public Defender.
The first incident in the same church occurred on November 19, 2010. Strangers broke windows and raided the room of the Sunday school. The equipment and items of the school were scattered on the floor and trampled upon. Several items belonging to the church were scattered in the yard. On the same day, the Kvareli district police were informed and began an investigation. The investigation team visited the church building, took photos of the scene of the incident and interviewed the neighbors of the Church. Investigation findings were not published yet. The representatives of the Baptist Church suppose that youths participated in the vandalism.
The Public Defender added that in 2002, unknown person(s) burnt and destroyed the building of the Evangelist-Baptist Church in the same village. This fact was not investigated and the offenders were not found. With the financial assistance of the US and German embassies of Georgia, the church was restored in 2005.
According to his statement, the Church was twice vandalized in the last three months. On January 28, the parish found excrement in the corridor of the Church. Church properties, icons and various pieces of equipment were scattered on the floor and damaged. The local police officers investigated the incident and found that several youths between 11 and 12-years-old were responsible for the vandalism. The youths apologized to the Parish of the Baptist Church together with their parents but denied participating in the previous acts of vandalism.
The Public Defender said the incident of January 28 and the participation of the youths is really astonishing.
“When children of their age are so intolerant and participate in these types of acts of vandalism, we should be concerned about our entire society, our educational institutions and the state in general. We should also enact measures to resolve this problem. We should urgently take preventive measures, and implement serious educational activities to foster a more tolerant culture among youths,” the Public Defender said.
According to his statement, law enforcement officers should pay more attention to similar incidents and consider all factors which might impact and encourage youths to commit acts of violence. This should be studied very thoroughly, because youths are likely to be under the influence of certain people who encourage them to commit these violent acts.
The Public Defender calls upon the youths, their families, school administrations and teachers to realize how great the threat of intolerant propaganda is and how important educational activities are in eradicating negative stereotypes among the young generation and to reinforce a tolerant environment in society.
“We live in a country with many confessions where each citizen, regardless of their religious beliefs, enjoys equal rights; it is our centuries-long tradition and it is the essential basis for the development of the constitutional state. Thus, intolerance and hate crimes disregard our dignity, threatens the development of an equality-based society as well as its democratic values,” said the Public Defender.
The first incident in the same church occurred on November 19, 2010. Strangers broke windows and raided the room of the Sunday school. The equipment and items of the school were scattered on the floor and trampled upon. Several items belonging to the church were scattered in the yard. On the same day, the Kvareli district police were informed and began an investigation. The investigation team visited the church building, took photos of the scene of the incident and interviewed the neighbors of the Church. Investigation findings were not published yet. The representatives of the Baptist Church suppose that youths participated in the vandalism.
The Public Defender added that in 2002, unknown person(s) burnt and destroyed the building of the Evangelist-Baptist Church in the same village. This fact was not investigated and the offenders were not found. With the financial assistance of the US and German embassies of Georgia, the church was restored in 2005.
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