Priests attack gays

Tbilisi, Georgia

Orthodox priests led a mob of some 20,000 people in an attack on a small gay-rights rally in the Georgian capital last week.

On a new crusade Television images showed priests throwing rocks, punching people, and pounding the buses that were trying to evacuate the marchers. Dozens of people were injured. “I am not able to either condemn or justify them,” Bishop Iakob Iakobashvili, who organized the anti-gay protest, said of the violent priests. “When there are so many people, it is difficult to speak only about Christianity and morals.” The government is under criticism for failing to stop the attack or arrest the leaders, even though several gave their names on television.