Ana Bitsadze’s Facebook account made a publication in social networks where the following quote is attributed to Irakli Kobakhidze: “Tariel and Pridon are often caressing each other in the Knight in the Panther’s Skin. Shota Rustaveli portrayed them as LGBT characters. Therefore, this book needs to be removed from the school programme.” In fact, Irakli Kobakhidze has not made such statement about the Knight in the Panther’s Skin.
Following verification, it turned out that such a quote cannot be found in any of the search engines or reliable media websites and it is only included in the aforementioned Facebook publication.
There is a statement of the Georgian Dream’s chairperson about Shota Rustaveli which he made in 2018: “Many generations have been raised on the noble ideas of great Georgian thinkers: Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze, Vazha Pshavela and others. We owe it to their legacy that the Georgian people have preserved their passion for freedom, respect vis-à-vis fellow human beings and the culture of tolerance. It is because of the loyalty to these ideas and traditions that modern Georgia chose liberalism, democracy, freedom and cooperation. These are the fundamental values which stand as pillars of the modern European and the Euro-Atlantic community.”
Therefore, Irakli Kobakhidze’s quote on Facebook is fabricated.
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