GRASS Disinfo Brief - October 31 – November 6
10 November, 2023
0
- European Commission recommended granting EU candidate status to Georgia
- Russian occupying forces murder Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi, kidnap Levan Dotiashvili
- Georgian Dream MP makes insulting, sexist statements towards female opposition MP in Parliament
- Georgian Dream MPs propagate that NGOs and the opposition do not want EU candidate status for Georgia
- The ruling party continues to accuse the EU and the US of encouraging extremism
- While Georgia waited for the decision on candidate status, propaganda accused the West of deliberately inciting chaos in Georgia
- Propaganda says the West prohibits Georgia from establishing good relations with Russia
- Propaganda continues support of Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine
- Anti-Semitic narratives persist on the backdrop of the conflict in the Gaza strip
European Commission recommended granting EU candidate status to Georgia
The European Commission issued a recommendation to the European Council to grant Georgia candidate status. The President of the Commission made the announcement on November 8th. “The Commission recommends granting candidate status to Georgia on the understanding that the government takes important reform steps. Steps that mirror the genuine aspirations of the overwhelming majority of its citizens to join the European Union”, said Ursula von der Leyen.
GRASS Disinfo Brief will bring you detailed information in the upcoming edition.
Russian occupying forces murder Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi, kidnap Levan Dotiashvili
On November 6th, Russian occupation forces shot and killed Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi and illegally kidnapped another, Levan Dotiashvili, near the village of Kirbali, Gori municipality. According to locals, the two Georgian nationals visited the Lomisi Church of St. George near the occupation line. In August 2023, the Russian forces blocked the church door with tin plates to prohibit the locals from entering.
The Georgian central government immediately requested an emergency meeting with Russian and occupied Tskhinvali region representatives. Mediated by the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, the meeting took place later in the evening. The Deputy Director of the Information and Analytical Service of the State Security Service of Georgia, Irakli Antadze, said that the Georgian side demanded the punishment of the perpetrators of the killing and the immediate release of detained citizen Levan Dotiashvili.
The so-called “security service” of the occupied Tskhinvali region accused the Georgian citizens of posing a threat to the life and health of the border guards. The “border violators” used an axe and tried to flee by returning to Georgian-controlled territory. According to the statement, in order to prevent these illegal actions and the illegal crossing of “the state border of the Republic of South Ossetia”, the border guards fired a warning shot into the air and “after the violators did not comply with the legal requirements, they opened fire on car tires”.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili expressed outrage and stated that this was an attack on Georgian statehood, once again exposing the true nature of the “coreligionist brother”. Zourabichvili urgently called on the international community to condemn Russia’s actions.
The official statement of the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, reads that the incident once more illustrates “the difficult security environment and the severe consequences of the occupation”. The statement calls on the international community “to make an appropriate assessment and response to the incident” and the representatives of the occupation regime “to cooperate with all parties to identify and punish the perpetrators”.
Despite the tragic incident that unjustly and violently ended the life of an innocent Georgian citizen by occupational forces, instead of uniting the public and engaging in substance-driven discussions to find solutions, the political spectre started playing the blame game - the ruling party continues to blame the United National Movement for the Russian occupation and the 2008 war, while the opposition parties mainly highlight the failure of the Georgian Dream’s policy in relation to Russia.
- Chairman of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, stated that Russia’s occupation of Georgian territories is a legacy left by the previous government and its treacherous policies.
- Secretary General of the Georgian Dream and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze reiterated that Russian occupation is a legacy left by the previous government, which caused the death of a Georgian citizen.
- Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, made similar remarks, stating that the people responsible for leaving the legacy of Russian occupation are attempting to benefit from this tragedy. The Georgian Dream has fixed many things that the UNM broke, but the biggest problem left by the previous government - the Russian occupation and its severe consequences - still remains unsolved. “The collective UNM dares to point at others!..” reads the statement.
- An important detail about the victim is that he was a brother of the Gori Sakrebulo member and UNM member Givi Ginturi. A prominent pro-governmental propagandist highlighted this fact and expressed that since Georgia was two days away from a historic decision of the European Commission, which would completely weaken the opposition, the crime committed by the Russian forces played into the hands of the opposition.
- A pro-governmental expert, Ghia Abashidze, also posted on social media, arguing that the Russian occupiers gave “a bloody gift” to the UNM. “The collective UNM” is collaborating with the Russians to undermine the European integration process.
- Pro-Russian Alt Info followed with a more radical narrative, underscoring that the incident benefits the opposition and the West. They will use this tragedy to spread propaganda further, stir up public emotion, and start a revolution. Moreover, Revaz Kilasionia, frequent guest on Alt Info, claimed that the incident was contrived by Western intelligence agencies to provoke a conflict between Georgia and Russia and open a second front. Pro-Russian sources also used this tragedy to argue that only dialogue and direct relations with Russia will change the situation for the better.
Since the situation is still progressing during the writing of this newsletter and different stakeholders continue to make statements, GRASS Disinfo Brief will provide additional information about this issue in the next edition.
Georgian Dream MP makes insulting, sexist statements towards female opposition MP in Parliament
On October 31st, during a plenary session of the Parliament, the ruling party MP and the Chairperson of the Defense and Security Committee, Irakli Beraia, made insulting, sexist statements towards the female opposition MP and the Deputy Chairperson of the Defense and Security committee, Teona Akubardia. According to Beraia, “The real reason why Akubardia criticises the committee is not because she is worried about state interests or Russian occupation, but because she is not allowed to spread disinformation through different meeting platforms, to take selfies with her kind of people, go into airport lounges to get wasted and lie around. I urge this person to refrain from mentioning me and my committee with her long tongue that has been everywhere”. Irakli Beraia also claimed that Akubardia had missed meetings at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly “because she was either out shopping or hungover and too lazy to raise her head from the pillow”.
Teona Akubardia, subject of the insult, called Irakli Beraia “GD’s little man” and stated that she will not be silenced “while a member of the government attends Putin’s speeches, while the Chairperson of the Parliament propagates anti-Western disinformation and while Russian occupying forces are portrayed as a legacy of the previous government to avoid responsibility”.
Female opposition MPs held a joint briefing on the same day and assessed Beraia’s statements as an attempt to discredit female MPs. In addition, the opposition MPs called on the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament to act accordingly and protect women’s rights in the Parliament.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili assessed the incident as “shameful” and called on the Chairperson of the Parliament to take the strictest measures.
Later in the day, Irakli Beraia apologised, stating that when the ruling party is systematically and unfairly accused of damaging national interests, it elicits a harsh reaction. Still, the ruling party MP underlined that he was over the line due to the severity of the statement made by Akubardia. “I want to apologise for that. I do not plan to make additional statements. I think everything is clear”, stated Beraia. Chairperson of the Georgian Dream faction in the Parliament, Mamuka Mdinaradze, also recognised the severity of the statement and underlined that “it was not a good reaction which followed a serious provocation, but that becomes secondary when ethical norms get broken”. Chairman of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, acknowledged his responsibility and stated that he should and will interrupt speeches containing personal insults. Secretary General of the Georgian Dream and Tbilisi Mayor, Kakha Kaladze said that despite differences in opinion politicians should not insult eachother. According to him, female opposition MPs have made aggressive and insulting statements many times which is regrettable. He underlined that he has also been a target of personal attacks from major TV networks
The apology did little for the opposition MPs not to demand the resignation of the Defense Committee Chair, but it was enough for the Chairperson of the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament and ruling party MP, Nino Tsilosani. According to her, since Beraia apologised, there was no need for the Gender Equality Council to review this issue in detail.
Despite the criticism and GD’s initial remorse, ruling party members went on the offensive the next day.
- Chairperson of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, argued that the demands for Irakli Beraia’s resignation are senseless. Women opposition MPs do not have the moral right to talk about decency when they are the ones constantly misbehaving. Women MPs call men MPs “little men”, which can also be assessed as a gender-motivated insult, but it is not, and it points to double standards. According to Kobakhidze, Beraia was decent enough to apologise in contrast to women opposition MPs. The way women opposition MPs act discredits the concept of gender quotas in the Parliament. “I call on them to respect their Parliamentary status and the fact that they are women MPs and act accordingly!” stated Kobakhidze.
- After the opposition started calling for the resignation of Irakli Beraia, Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze told the opposition members not to go over the line and enjoy the apology they got. Mdinaradze stated that the opposition has double standards for not having the same reaction when insults are directed towards ruling party members, referring to the poster displayed by women opposition MPs, which read “Russian warship go *** yourself” when the Minister of Culture, Tea Tsulukiani was making a speech in the Parliament.
- Chairperson of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, said that Beraia would not resign. Papuashvili also recalled when female opposition MPs displayed a poster when the Minister of Culture was making a speech, arguing that the opposition has double standards.
- Georgian Dream MP Irakli Zarkua also noted that the opposition has double standards because they often besmirched and insulted President Salome Zourabichvili, but it never had the same reaction.
- A female MP from the ruling party, Rima Beradze, noted that the leader of the Georgian Dreams faction, Mamuka Mdinaradze and Irakli Beraia himself apologized. She underlined that she has personally been a target of insults from men and women MPs. “Insults should be condemned from both sides – the opposition and the ruling party. I have been insulted by men and women alike. What does gender have to do with it?” stated the MP.
Georgian Dream MPs propagate that NGOs and the opposition do not want EU candidate status for Georgia
- Commenting on the fact that Georgian NGOs appealed to the European Commission to grant Georgia candidate status, the Chairperson of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, claimed that “elitist NGOs”, encouraging extremism in Georgia, attempted to undermine Georgia’s potential candidate status for a year and a half, but, since positive messages are coming from the EU, they are trying to get some credit.
- According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the “radical opposition” is disturbed because Georgia will most likely receive EU candidate status. The UNM, Lelo, For Georgia and other parties linked to “the collective UNM” will all lose votes because of GD’s success. Opposition parties hoped for a negative answer so that they could start a revolution just like they attempted to in June 2022, when Georgia was granted a European perspective rather than candidate status. Kobakhidze stated that the opposition was lying to the people, portraying the candidate status as a guarantee of Georgia’s success to elicit emotions from the public to start a revolution. Since it became likely that the EU will indeed grant the status, the opposition parties are downplaying its importance.
- Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration, Maka Botchorishvili, also accused the opposition parties and so-called civic activists, as she puts it, of campaigning against Georgia’s candidate status. According to Botchorishvili, the opposition boycotted the process of completing the 12 priorities issued by the European Commission, spread disinformation about Georgia being a loophole for Russia to avoid international sanctions, and paid lobbyists to discredit Georgia’s European integration efforts.
- Chairperson of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Mikheil Sarjveladze, stated that great efforts were put in by the opposition to hinder Georgia’s attempts to gain EU candidate status.
- Ruling party MP Beka Davituliani emphasised that if Georgia receives candidate status, it will be thanks to the path taken by the Georgian people and the government, not the opposition because they did not participate in fulfilling the 12 priorities set out by the European Commission. The opposition members confessed to pleading to the European partners not to grant Georgia candidate status, he said.
The ruling party continues to accuse the EU and the US of encouraging extremism
- Kakha Kaladze stated that when the EU denied Georgia candidate status last year, they could not provide any explanation for their decision because it was motivated by attempts to incite a revolution and overthrow the government. The ruling party will not let anyone use Georgia and its people as cannon fodder. “We are ready for friendship and partnership, but it has to be mutual”, stated Kaladze. According to him, most political parties in Georgia are direct enemies of Georgia. They are agents with foreign patrons and specific orders to destabilise the country and create chaos. In the backdrop of the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, Georgia is in grave danger, and the only political power that can preserve peace in the country is the Georgian Dream.
- According to Irakli Kobakhidze, NGOs have malign objectives and most of their finances are directed towards extremism. The Chairperson of the Georgian Dream also emphasised that the ruling party held consultations with European and American partners to stop foreign sources from funding extremism, polarisation and revolution in Georgia.
- During the Parliamentary plenary session, while debating with opposition MP Teona Akubardia, Shalva Papuashvili stated that the USAID-funded International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) spread fake PVT results. Despite USAID having information about this issue one month before it was publicised, USAID representatives refrained from addressing the Georgian people even though there were protests against election rigging. “If you as an MP do not care about this, then you have no sense of patriotism. Tell me, was this disinformation or not? These are facts”, Papuashvili told Akubardia.
While Georgia waited for the decision on candidate status, propaganda accused the West of deliberately inciting chaos in Georgia
- One of the leaders of pro-Russian Alt Info and the Conservative Movement party, Irakli Martinenko, claimed that the West, in the coming two months, is planning to stir up the situation in Georgia, overthrow the government through violent means and drag Georgia into a war against Russia. If the West fails to reach this goal now, it will continue its malign efforts in the future, mainly during the 2024 Parliamentary elections. The agents of the West in Georgia will try to emotionally manipulate the public to start demonstrations, causing clashes with the police, which will ultimately turn into a revolution.
- Alt Info also claimed that the destructive actions of the West directed towards Georgia are part of a larger geopolitical plan aimed at increasing Western influence in the world, which is a significant threat to Georgia. This threat can only be mitigated through the “Anti-Maidan Movement”, which aims to mobilise people from around the country to physically stop pro-Western demonstrations from taking place.
- A propagandist on Alt Info propagated that Georgia’s thirty-year path of Western integration is ending with the West inciting a coup. The ruling party is doing everything to receive candidate status because they know that the threat of a revolution will increase in case of denial.
- A prominent pro-Russian propagandist, Tristan Tsitelashvili, a former Georgian high-ranking officer who was previously imprisoned for spying in favour of Russia during the 2008 war and later released as a political prisoner by the Georgian Dream government, argued that US-supported agents in Georgia are undermining the country. According to him, the EU candidate status is nothing to be happy about because the EU propagates “LGBT lifestyle and perversion in the world”. EU membership has no benefits and only means that Georgia will have to adopt laws contrary to its interests.
- Sezoni TV anchor and propagandist Nikoloz Mzhavanadze also discredited the EU candidate status, alleging that it will not benefit Georgia or its population. Candidate status only means funding for NGOs with an anti-Georgian agenda will increase. Georgia will be forced to adopt more laws similar to the anti-discrimination law, which is anti-Christian.
- Commenting on the fact that Georgian CSOs appealed to the President of the European Commission to grant Georgia candidate status, the founder of government-supported NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights”, Nana Kakabadze, asserted that “Western-supported NGOs” are trying to portray it as if the EU does not want to grant Georgia candidate status but it will do so due to the work of Georgian CSOs. Kakabadze alleged that the EU will grant Georgia candidate status because it needs Georgia and its geopolitical location. In contrast, Georgia does not need “a bankrupt EU”, she said.
- An anti-Western propagandist on Alt Info claimed that USAID and other foreign organisations operating in Georgia are executing the plans of Western intelligence services. The Law on Foreign Agents was adamantly opposed because it would clarify this and prevent these organisations from continuing their malign work. Tristan Tsitelashvili also supported this narrative and stated that the government should restrict Western funding which allegedly is feeding millions of dollars to opposition parties and NGOs in order to overthrow the government and open a second front in Georgia.
- Another propagandist on Alt Info said that the US is “a world dictator” which is deliberately causing “rivers of blood and conflicts in the world” to pursue its interests. The US wants to cause bloodshed in Georgia as well, but the Georgian people are realising this and “breaking the chains put on by the world dictator”.
- Despite claiming that the West has plans and enough influence to incite chaos and war all over the world, another narrative spread on Alt Info suggests that due to the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, the West is getting weaker. The Islamic world is realising that the West is complacent in “Israel’s crimes”. Therefore, the whole Islamic world is now against the West. Simultaneously, the Western plans to destroy Russia backfired as Russia is now getting stronger than ever.
- The same propagandist threatened that Georgia will be rid of Western influence, and pro-Westerners will “have to flee from Georgia by climbing on airplane wings as it happened in Afghanistan”. The West is oppressing the Georgian people and insulting its culture. It wants to keep Georgia in darkness and slavery, without sovereignty or independent will. The fight between the West and Georgia is a fight for the Georgian identity.
Propaganda says the West prohibits Georgia from establishing good relations with Russia
- One of the leaders of pro-Russian Alt Info and the Conservative Movement party, Irakli Martinenko, argued that negotiations with Russia do not mean becoming a slave to Moscow. Georgia needs to have good relations with Russia to solve various issues, including territorial integrity. According to the propagandist, close relations with the US is indeed slavery because Washington insists that Georgia comply with its demands by adopting certain laws and reforms, while Moscow has no such demands and is open to simple negotiations.
- Another anchor of Alt Info, Aleksandre Palavandishvili, assessed that good relations with Russia are vital to Georgia’s interests because it would solve the occupation issue, guarantee Georgia’s security and make way for economic development. Georgia is not pursuing good relations with Russia because the US prohibits the Georgian government from doing so.
- A clergyman who often appears on Alt Info’s broadcasts also supported the same narrative. According to him, people in Washington know that Russia appreciates Georgia’s geopolitical location and is ready to comply with Georgian demands, but the US is hindering the process since it aims to open a second front in Georgia to weaken Russia.
- An anti-Western propagandist on Alt Info claimed that Washington and Brussels cannot guarantee Georgia’s security. The West is weakened due to the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, and US hegemony is coming to an end. Thus, the West cannot even ensure its security, let alone Georgia’s. Therefore, the only country that can guarantee Georgia’s security is Russia.
- The leader of Alt Info and the Conservative Movement, Zurab Makharadze, asserted that financial income from Russian tourists far exceeds that of tourists from EU countries; thus, prohibiting Russian citizens from entering Georgia will harm the Georgian economy and negatively affect the pockets of ordinary citizens. Additionally, according to Makharadze, demands about prohibiting Russian citizens from entering Georgia are xenophobic, and people should not be discriminated against based on their ethnic and linguistic background.
- Another narrative spread on Alt Info suggested that Russia is a leader of Orthodoxy and opposes the globalist plans to control the world, which is why it is in the collective West’s geopolitical interest to weaken Russia.
- A social media profile that often spreads disinformation and pro-Russian propaganda posted that Russia will get rid of Western influence from the post-Soviet space and pro-Wester people from Georgia will have to flee from Georgia when the US soon abandons them.
Propaganda continues support of Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine
- Sezoni TV anchor Nikoloz Mzhavanadze commented on the situation in Makhachkala, Daghestan when a violent mob stormed the local airport in search of Jewish people to persecute them. According to Mzhavanadze, it is confirmed that this was a diversion staged by the Ukrainian intelligence services with the assistance of the West.
- A propagandist on Alt Info argued that despite NATO providing assistance to Kyiv, it is using Ukraine as cannon fodder to weaken Russia. Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated, the West completely abandoned Ukraine.
- An anchor on Alt Info claimed that Zelenskyy will be forced to sign an agreement with bad terms because Ukraine is losing the war. The anchor also blamed Zelenskyy for the war and for causing the death of Ukrainian civilians.
- Another propagandist on Alt Info propagated that Ukraine is basically defeated. NATO thought they would weaken Russia by starting a war in Ukraine, but it is now evident that Russia is stronger than ever. Ukrainians want to end the war now. Nevertheless, the West is prohibiting them from negotiating with Russia.
- According to another narrative, if Ukraine had complied with the Minsk agreement and become neutral, its territorial integrity would have been retained, and the war would have been avoided. The narrative suggests that Georgia should learn from Ukraine's mistakes and pursue neutrality to ensure its security.
- A pro-Russian social media page posted that the West has abandoned Ukraine. There are now talks about a potential peace agreement, which means that NATO’s support for Ukraine was not enough to defeat Russia. NATO has been prohibiting Ukraine from signing a peace agreement with Russia since the start of the war, but now it is pressuring Zelenskyy’s government to agree to bad terms. According to the narrative, allies of the US, including Georgia, should ask themselves if close relations with the US are beneficial and whether Georgia should pursue a different foreign policy.
- Kremlin-sponsored Sputnik Georgia, which often publishes articles from Russian authors, propagated that “despite the plans devised in Washington and Brussels, a well-trained and equipped Russian army is defeating the forces of NATO’s puppet regime on Ukrainian soil”, the US and NATO are now trying to preserve Ukrainian statehood while the Russian forces continue to advance. The article suggests that the increasingly pessimistic narratives spread by Western media also point to the fact that Ukraine is losing the war.
Anti-Semitic narratives persist on the backdrop of the conflict in the Gaza strip
- A social media account stated that Russia and Georgia have a common enemy – the Jewish people who represent the elite of the new world order and execute Satan's plan in different countries. The Jewish people incited chaos and conflict in different parts of the world, the post reads.
- A different propaganda source argued that Israel is part of the axis of evil – the Anglo-American world. Together with the West, Israel is planning to establish a new world order. Israel initiated the war between Russia and Ukraine to build “a new Israel” on Ukraine’s territory.
- Another narrative notes that the war between Israel and Hamas was started by the Jewish people to ethnically cleanse the region from Palestinians and bring “the Mashiach, or the Messiah", which is the anti-Christ.
- A social media account spread disinformation that Jewish people started the construction of concentration camps in Donetsk, Ukraine. Globalists are planning to establish a new state of Israel on Ukraine’s territory and migrate millions of Jewish people.
