The Opening of a Pro-Russian Alt-Info Office in Ozurgeti Was Followed by a Protest of Citizens. The office of the party found by the Conservative Movement of Alt-info opened next to the Georgian Dream office. However, there is no banner at the location at the office is currently closed.
According to one of the organizers of the rally, Nino Urushadze, Alt-info decided to open the office in secret. But the citizens found out about it and arrived at the location.
“A few days ago we found out that they were planning to open an office. They had rented a space and the place was being renovated. I can’t say what exactly happened, but it seems that they changed their mind because of the protest from the community and they decided to open in secret – today the local media shared that a few people were mobilizing at that location and they were opening an office for the party. We soon gathered and arrived there, but there was already no one there. The office was closed, there was no sign that there would be an Alt-info party there. We are planning on gathering and protesting on Monday as well – we won’t let them settle here! There is no place for violent pro-Russians in Ozurgeti!” – Says Nino Urushadze.
According to media reports, the opening of the Alt-Info office is being organized by a local priest, Vakhtang Tokhadze, whose name is associated with the fact of corporal punishment of a child in one of the theological schools in Ozurgeti in 2015.
After the story was made public in 2015, Vakhtang Tokhadze was denied the right to teach, and by the decision of Metropolitan Ioseb, Tokhadze was “suspended from his priestly service and sent to a monastery to repent.” The priest affiliated with a pro-Russian organization was allowed to serve a year after the incident and is now serving in a village in Ozurgeti.
The party, founded by a violent organization, plans to open about 80 offices across Georgia, prompting protests in several cities. Young people protested against the opening of an Alt-Info office in Mestia, which was followed by aggression by pro-Russian forces and up to 10 people were beaten. Opening of an Alt-info office in Ambrolauri was also protested; An office building in Gori was painted red; In Akhaltsikhe, locals created wrote anti-Soviet nostalgia comments on the signs; pro-Russian forces in Khulo and Shuakhevi were forced to leave their offices on the opening day.
