In Tbilisi, thousands protest over desecration of Matrona Icon
A rally in front of the Georgian parliament. Photo: newsgeorgia.ge
On January 13, 2024, around three thousand members of the "Conservative Movement" held a massive protest demanding harsher punishment for the woman who splashed paint on the icon of St. Matrona of Moscow with an image of Joseph Stalin in the Trinity Cathedral. This was reported by News Georgia.
Participants of the rally demanded that the case against the woman, charged with petty hooliganism, be reclassified as a criminal offense.
"We gathered here with a specific demand, and that demand is justice. We demand punishment for everyone who treats our Mother Church in a way that crosses the line," said Zurab Makharadze, the leader of the movement, during the protest.
After the conclusion of the rally, activists headed to the Trinity Cathedral to pray at the icon of St. Matrona.
Meanwhile, the Georgian Patriarchate called on the clergy and believers not to participate in the demonstration near the parliament, as it "might escalate into a political or destructive form."
It was previosuly reported that the Matrona of Moscow Icon with Stalin was splashed with paint in a Georgian cathedral.
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