My Interview with American Protester and UN Worker Attacked by Angry Georgians in front of UN

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• published: 07 Sep 2008
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Aug 18, 2008 My supporters, including United Nations veteran worker, tell their story of their humiliation by Georgians in front of United Nations while I was away for one hour. 1. IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER OF 2008 A MILITANT GEORGIAN GROUP WAS PERFORMING WELL ORCHESTRATED PROTESTS IN FRONT OF THE UNITED NATIONS. AT THE SAME TIME THEY WERE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY MY RIGHT TO HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW. I HAVE SOME OSSETIAN BLOOD AND SOME OF MY FAR RELATIVES GOT KILLED BY SAAKASHVILYS AGGRESSION AGAINST A TINY BREAKAWAY REPUBLIC ON THE NIGHT OF AUG 7-8TH. SO I WAS BY THE UN TO REPRESENT THE OSSETIAN PEOPLE IN THIS CONFLICT SITUATION. BUT THE GEORGIAN PROTESTORS TRIED TO TAKE AWAY FROM ME, A U.S. CITIZEN, THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THE RIGHT TO HAVE AN OPINION. ORGANIZERS WOULD TELL POLICE THAT THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE CONTROL OF THEIR MOB. 2. POLICE WOULD ADVISE ME TO LEAVE SAYING IT IS NOT WORTH IT AND THAT THEY WORRIED ABOUT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THEIR OFFICERS. AGGRESSIVE AND OUT OF CONTROL IN FRONT OF U.N. WINDOWS AND WITNESSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT CITY OF NEW YORK, THEY WOULD HIT ME, THEY WOULD TRY TO TAKE AWAY MY POSTERS, THEY WOULD DRAMATICALLY TEAR UP MY APPEALS TO THE U.N. AND CNN, THEY BROKE MY CAMERA, THEY WOULD TELL ME THAT IM A DEAD MAN, AND THAT THEY ARE GOING TO RAPE MY MOTHER AND KILL ALL MY FAMILY. 3. I HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE UNITED NATIONS TO SHOW THE WORLD ORGANIZATION AND MY FELLOW AMERICANS THAT IT IS A DIFFERENT VIEW OF EVENTS THAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN SOUTH OSSETIA AND THE REST OF GEORGIA. ALSO I WAS COMING TO GRIEVE OVER MY RELATIVES AND OVER THE THOUSANDS OF OSSETIANS WHO WERE KILLED OR EXPELLED TO THE NEIGHBORING NORTH OSSETIA IN RUSSIA. 4. ALSO I WANTED TO REMIND MY FELLOW AMERICANS THAT WE SHOULDNT FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN OF LIES AND SILENCING DISSENT THAT GOT US INTO THE TERRIBLE IRAQ WAR. AFTER LISTENING TO SOME OF OUR LEADERS AND MEDIA HARD-LINE ADVOCATES TO TAKE TOUGH ACTION AGAINST RUSSIA FOR SAVING SMALL S. OSSETIA FROM TOTAL DESTRUCTION, I WAS WORRIED LIKE MANY OTHER AMERICANS THAT WERE BEING PUSHED, ONCE AGAIN, TO WAR. REAL WAR WITH RUSSIA, WHICH IN MANY PEOPLES VIEW COULD PUT AN END TO HUMAN EXISTENCE. 5. IVE BEEN TRYING TO VOICE MY OPINION THROUGH MY APPEALS (SEE ATTACHED) AND BY DISPLAYING MY POSTERS IN FRONT OF THE U.N. AND AROUND NYC SINCE AUG 9TH. IN AUGUST I MISSED GOING TO THE U.N. ONLY ON FRIDAY AUGUST 15TH, BECAUSE THE DAY BEFORE I WAS TOLD BY ONE OF THE SAAKASHVILY GROUP THAT THEY KNOW MY ADDRESS AND IT IS ALMOST OVER FOR ME. ON FRIDAY AUG. 15TH I WAS REALLY AFRAID TO LEAVE MY APARTMENT EVEN TO GO GET SOME FOOD. BUT ON SATURDAY AUG. 16TH I WENT BACK TO U.N. PLAZA AROUND 10 PM (THEY ARE USUALLY THERE DURING THE DAY) AND LEFT MY POSTERS AND APPEALS IN THE AREA. FOR WEEKS I WAS AFRAID TO WALK AROUND THE CITY SINCE THEY TOOK VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF ME TO PROVE THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS AND THAT THE WHOLE GEORGIAN COMMUNITY IN THE NYC AREA ARE GOING TO LOOK FOR ME. 6. I KNEW THAT I COULD GET SHOT BY GEORGIANS FOR THE PLIGHT OF THE S. OSSETIAN SMALL NATION FOR DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO SPEAK WHAT I BELIEVE IN, FOR FREEDOMS THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD THINK ARE FUNDAMENTAL IN THE U.S. IM NOT GOING TO STOP FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT OF THE OSSETIAN PEOPLE TO LIVE IN THEIR HISTORIC LAND BECAUSE OF DEATH THREATS FROM SAAKASHVILIS PEOPLE. 7. SOUTH OSSETIA WAS CUT OFF FROM NORTH OSSETIA AFTER THE BREAKUP OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991. HISTORICALLY, OSSTIANS WERE NEVER UNDER TBILISI CONTROL AND S. OSSETIA BECAME PART OF INDEPENDENT GEORGIA AUTOMATICALLY AGAINST THEIR WILL. TO BRING OSSETIANS DOWN, GEORGIA WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO USE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND TO HAVE THEIR OWN TV AND RADIO. THEY WERE VERY OPPRESSED AFTER LOSING THE PROTECTION OF BEING IN THE USSR AND NEVER RECOGNIZED GEORGIAN RULE. THOUSANDS WERE KILLED AND RAN TO NORTH OSSETIA AFTER THE BREAK UP OF THE SOVIET UNION. IN 1992 UNDER A U.N. MANDATE, RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS WERE INSTALLED IN S. OSSETIA TO STOP THE BLOODSHED. THEY FULFILLED THIS OBLIGATION IN AUGUST 2008 BY STOPING THE MASS KILLING AND EXPULSION OF S. OSSETIANS.