Georgia: Hundreds protest outside TV station after host insults Putin on air

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Rustavi 2 Channel building in Tbilisi during the night between Sunday and Monday to protest against the insulting statements made by host Georgy Gabunia on his programme about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

People were seen whistling and shouting and chanting at the scene.

Footage shows police units observing the protesters without interfering.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs released an official statement, saying the police were deployed to protect public order during the rally, as well as security for the TV company and its employees.

On Sunday Georgian private broadcaster Rustavi 2’s anchor Georgy Gabunia started his PS live show by insulting Putin with profane words in Russian.

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, unequivocally condemned the language used in the TV broadcast.

“They run counter to all Georgian traditions, serve only to divide and heighten tensions in the country, with Russia and in the region,” she wrote on Twitter.

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze also slammed Rustavi 2 on Twitter for “provocation and an attempt to destabilise the country.”