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Do you think Stalin’s monument should have been removed by the Government?

Monday, June 28
“Yes, absolutely. I think having a monument to Stalin in the centre of a town recently bombed by the Russians was not normal. Thank God it is gone now. This is not destroying the history of Georgia as some people say, but simply showing that we do not honour him. And it is the right thing to do.”
Maya, teacher, 41

“I really do not understand those people who protested against the removal of the statue. I would understand it if the authorities had decided to remove the Museum of Stalin from Gori. We might argue about the manner of the removal, I think this should not have been done secretly, but it was the right decision.”
Kote, lawyer, 35

“Actually, it does not matter for me if the monument stands in the middle of Gori or not. I simply do not care. I would like to see positive changes directly affecting us rather than surface transformations.”
Natela, biologist, 61

“Well frankly speaking I did not have anything against this monument because it is just part of our history which will never been forgotten. On the other hand after the Russian aggression I welcome this initiative and think it would be better to keep it in a museum rather than in the centre of the town which suffered the most from Russian bombs.”
Soso, student, 23

“I wonder why our Government kept this terrible monument for such a long time? Of course it should have been removed, this is beyond question. We do not live in the Communist era and there is no need to commemorate a dictator and killer of tens of thousands of people in the centre of town. If I were the President I would also remove Stalin’s name from Gori’s central avenue.”
Lela, teacher, 36

"I did not expect such a decision and I am still surprised. I do not think it is the most serious issue we are facing at the present moment though. It would be better for our authorities to think about some of the really serious problems we have at present."
Gia, engineer, 41

"It is true that Stalin was one of the most influential and powerful political leaders in the world and he will always be a major world political figure, however he did nothing positive for his home country. The major problems we are having today, meaning our territorial problems, are on his conscience."
Lia, historian, 29

"I do not agree with statues of Stalin being in other Georgian towns, however Gori is the home town of Stalin, his Museum is there too, so I do not support this Government decision."
Soso, pensioner, 56