Georgian Extremists Attack Vegans With Meat

Extremists rushed into a vegan restaurant in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Sunday and threw meat at customers.

Witnesses said the ultranationalists angrily entered the Kiwi Café, which does not serve meat or fish, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. They were described as wearing sausages around their necks and carrying slabs of meat on sticks.

The clash spilled onto the street outside, and neighbors joined in the fight. It was not clear who was fighting who, RFE/RL.com reported. Minor injuries were reported.

On the café Facebook page, staff described the attackers as neo-Nazis. Employees were quoted as linking the attackers to the skinhead group called Georgian Power.

That organization denied it was involved on Monday.

The Facebook post said the assailants asked neighbors about the restaurant weeks before the attack. They asked if the restaurant was a place for foreigners or if customers were gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

One witness wrote that the attackers ate grilled meat in front of customers. The post said the attackers also threw meat, sausages and fish. A fight between customers and attackers started after the food was thrown.

Some in Europe have linked the restaurant incident to a new round of culture wars. On one side are young people seeking to draw closer to Western Europe and its lifestyles.

On the other side are neo-Nazis or skinheads, who resist influence from Western culture in the former Soviet bloc country.

I’m Bruce Alpert.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported this story. Jim Dresbach adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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