Protesting crowds assail Georgian opposition TV after host's foul-mouthed attack on Putin (VIDEOS)

8 Jul, 2019 01:31 / Updated 4 years ago

A crowd of protesters gathered at the headquarters of the Georgian opposition TV station Rustavi 2 after a show host went on an expletive-laden, on-air tirade attacking Russian President Vladimir Putin and his late parents.

Georgia was thrown into uproar late on Sunday by an extremely vulgar outburst by Rustavi 2 host Georgiy Gabuniya, who used Russian swear words to verbally abuse the "invader" Putin. Despite the sorry state of relations between the two countries, Georgian top officials, including the foreign minister, the prime minister and the president, united in condemning the rant.

Some ordinary Georgians were equally outraged. While some vented their displeasure at Gabuniya on social media, others gathered in a crowd at his station's HQ in Tbilisi, demanding that he be fired. Several hundred people were seen shouting and throwing eggs and bottles at the building.

Rustavi 2 was forced to temporarily go off air because of the protest, and issued a statement denouncing Gabuniya's choice of words, but not his message. Georgian police say they are at the scene, keeping the protest civil and the journalists safe.

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