A protest against the celebration of Russian Language Day took place in Tbilisi. Participants believe that celebrating June 6 in Georgia is particularly painful against the backdrop of the long-standing policy of displacing the Georgian language in occupied Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.
Protesters pointed out that in the Gali and Akhalgori districts, which have predominantly Georgian populations, school instruction in the Georgian language is banned. They also noted that no church services are held in Georgian in the occupied territories of Georgia, and local residents face language-based discrimination.
“I was expelled from my land. In the occupied territories, even Georgian church services are not held, Georgians are oppressed daily because of their language, and against this backdrop, celebrating Russian Language Day is an insult to any Georgian,” said Ilya Glonti, a member of the “Republic of Georgia” organization and an internally displaced person from Abkhazia.
Former Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Giorgi Tavartkiladze also spoke out against such events, emphasizing that “when the Georgian language is being destroyed in Abkhazia and Samachablo, celebrating Russian Language Day in Tbilisi is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in his address on the occasion of Russian Language Day, stated that protecting the Russian-speaking population remains one of the priorities of Russian policy.
“Among our absolute priorities is the protection and support of those for whom Russian is their native language. We will continue to resolutely oppose any manifestations of linguistic discrimination and Russophobia,” Lavrov’s statement reads.
Small events are planned annually in Georgia on June 6 and 7 as part of the Russian Language Day celebrations. This year’s organizer is the “Ambassadors of the Russian Language” project. Similar events are also taking place in Budapest and Paris.
Russian Language Day is an international day dedicated to the Russian language. It was established by the UN in 2010 and is celebrated on June 6, the birthday of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.
In the Russian Federation, the day was established as an official state holiday in 2011.