Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili sharply criticized what he described as a symbolic attempt to undermine Georgia’s government, pointing to a protester “armed with an EU flag” outside the parliament building.

“This man was attempting to overthrow the Georgian government, armed with an EU flag, right in front of the country’s parliament,” Papuashvili wrote.

He went on to condemn Estonia’s recent decision to declare Georgian weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze persona non grata. Talakhadze, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, has won more golds in the past two decades than Estonia’s entire Olympic team.

“They saw seven… they saw seven… and this individual was trying to overthrow the government in Georgia, armed with an EU flag, in front of the parliament. When he failed, he declared a three-time Olympic champion, who has won more gold medals than his entire Olympic team over two decades, persona non grata in his homeland. If only we knew who truly rules modern Europe,” Papuashvili remarked, alluding to broader questions about foreign influence in European politics.