Georgia destroys Soviet monument, offends Russia

[Martinus]

Georgia destroys Soviet monument, offends Russia
Published: Friday 18 December 2009

Diggers tore into a Soviet World War Two memorial in Georgia on 17 December to make way for a new parliament in the former Soviet republic, angering Russia and opponents of pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Saakashvili wants parliament sessions to be relocated to Georgia's second city of Kutaisi under an initiative to revitalise the former industrial hub.

But the demolition of a 46-metre-high concrete and bronze war memorial at the proposed construction site has been criticised by Georgia's opposition and Russia, which fought a brief war with US ally Georgia last year.

The Russian Defence Ministry issued a statement saying it was "concerned", and Duma deputy and former prime minister Sergei Stepashin said it was "sacrilege".

Critics said the move reflected an indifference to public opinion by authorities under Saakashvili, whose rejection of Georgia's Soviet past has been his signature policy since taking power on the back of the 2003 'Rose Revolution'.

Some 300,000 Georgians died fighting for the Soviet army during World War Two. "The decision to dismantle this memorial without asking the people and without asking the author of this memorial is a very good example of how our leadership ignores public opinion," said Georgy Akhvlediani of the opposition Christian Democrats.

Naked horseman

One part of the monument, a statue of a naked Georgian horseman in front of the main concrete structure, has already been removed. Authorities said it would be relocated within Kutaisi, 236 km (147 miles) west of the capital Tbilisi.

Municipal construction official Jemal Tsuladze told Reuters the bronze sections of the monument, built in 1982, would be kept in storage, but the main structure was too big to move.

"It was a government decision and we are just implementing it," he said. Kutaisi city officials could not confirm Russian media reports that the main structure - designed by Georgian sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili - would be blown up on 21 December, the birthday of Saakashvili which he shares with Josef Stalin.

A spokeswoman for Saakashvili declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Russian officials said it was a crime. "The [...] criminal nature of such evil acts must be raised at all international events," Alexei Ostrovsky, a committee chairman in the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, told RIA Novosti.

Relations between Russia and Georgia show no sign of improving since they fought a five-day war in August last year, when Russia crushed an assault by US ally Georgia on the breakaway pro-Russian region of South Ossetia.

The monument dispute has echoes of Estonia in 2007, when Russia reacted furiously to the removal of a statue of a Soviet Red Army soldier in the capital Tallinn.

(EurActiv with Reuters.)

Clearly not a good move, diplomatically, but I wanted to use this as a basis for a broader question - when does destroying monuments stop being an expression of people's fight with oppression and starts being an act of barbarism? On one hand you have Iraqis toppling Saddam's statue, on the other you have the Taleban blowing up the Buddha statutes. This case is somewhere in between. What do Languishistas think?

[Martinus]

It bears mentioning that the thing was fugly:

[Slargos]

I think that Russians are at least pretending to be as easy to offend as muslims.

If they hadn't murdered so many people, perhaps others wouldn't be so quick to tear down their memorials.

[Martinus]

I guess the Russian argument is that many Georgians died in the war too. But yeah I know, they are doing the Arab/Israel shtick - which, actually, is quite effective in the Civilization of Victimhood era.

Incidentally, Georgians apparently managed to bring the thing down on a woman with a 8 y.o. daughter who was walking by or something. 

[DGuller]

Incidentally, Georgians apparently managed to bring the thing down on a woman with a 8 y.o. daughter who was walking by or something. 

[The Brain]

It is always OK to offend Russia, up to and including by bombing them back to the Jazz Age.

[Iormlund]

Incidentally, Georgians apparently managed to bring the thing down on a woman with a 8 y.o. daughter who was walking by or something. 

...

[Martinus]

Now I know how you guys must feel when you read about conflicts in Eastern Europe: cripple fight.

[Solmyr]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism, this is stupid. It'd be like Democrats tearing down the Lincoln memorial because he was a Republican.

[Caliga]

Awesome.  Diplomatic insult CB. 

[Fate]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism, this is stupid. It'd be like Democrats tearing down the Lincoln memorial because he was a Republican.

Yes. I quite like your comparison of the Republican party to a foreign occupier.

[Sheilbh]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism, this is stupid. It'd be like Democrats tearing down the Lincoln memorial because he was a Republican.

Yeah I agree.  The fact that it's a war memorial makes me rather more dubious about tearing it down.

[The Brain]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism

Yeah Russian WW2 soldiers didn't spread Communism like crazy. No Sir.

[Solmyr]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism

Yeah Russian WW2 soldiers didn't spread Communism like crazy. No Sir.

They also happened to do that little thing about fighting Nazis. So did Georgian soldiers, and soldiers of pretty much every other nationality in the Soviet Union at the time. Which is what the memorial in question is about.

[The Brain]

Considering that a memorial to WW2 soldiers is distinctly different from a memorial to communism

Yeah Russian WW2 soldiers didn't spread Communism like crazy. No Sir.

They also happened to do that little thing about fighting Nazis. So did Georgian soldiers, and soldiers of pretty much every other nationality in the Soviet Union at the time. Which is what the memorial in question is about.

If the poor Russians didn't want WW2 maybe they shouldn't have co-started it? Just a thought. Karma's a bitch.