MINELRES: "Multinational Georgia" protests against allegedly racist statements

[minelres@lists.microlink.lv]

Original sender: "Multinational Georgia" <pmmg@caucasus.net>


The Public Movement "Multinational Georgia" protests any expression with
negative connotation regarding the ethnic minority groups

On 15 June 2009 while having meeting with parliamentary majority the
President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili  mentioned in a negative
context the population of the New Guinea and some of the regions of the
New Zealand and the titular population of the state of Papuan-New
Guinea, namely, he called them "Papuans".  The President said: "in no
normal state the protesting rally is held at the police premises.  Today
they again blocked the road to the police department.  We are not
Papuans any longer?! It is inadmissible to abuse our foreign
friends, announcing self-blockade".

We believe that any people, regardless of existing stereotypes and the
lack of information on identity and culture of them,  deserves to be
treated with due respect.  We think that the President Saakashvili in
assessing the recent political developments of Georgia, namely the
protesting rally of the opposition at the police department premises,
had no intention to abuse the given ethnic group.  Despite of this, we
find inadmissible the statements alike from any politician.

We would like to remind that a week ago the Public Movement
"Multinational Georgia" expressed its protest against the statement
having the signs of xenophobia and intolerance against Chinese and
Japanese made by one of the leaders of opposition Mr Zviad
Dzidziguri.

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