DISINFO: Washington and Brussels are betting on a new "Maidan" in Georgia
SUMMARY
The US is no longer hiding its latest plans and aggressive intentions towards Georgia and its current authorities. Against the backdrop of the upcoming elections this fall, they are already predicting mass pro-Western protests with violence and the subsequent overthrow of the current government.
Washington and Brussels are now betting on a new "Maidan" in Georgia. Fearing this scenario (and not without reason), the Georgian authorities are forced to tell the truth about the destructive influence of pro-Western structures and their representatives.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Georgia, framing popular protests as Western-led ‘colour revolutions’ in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections in Georgia in October 2024.
This is an attempt to discredit potential protests and justify repressive measures against them in light of the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26th 2024. Human rights organisation Amnesty International has previously accused Georgia’s police of excessive use of force against overwhelmingly peaceful protesters.
Neither the US nor the EU are planning a forcible overthrow of the government in Georgia. No evidence is provided to support this claim.
The US State Department Spokesperson categorically denied several times Russian allegations that the US is planning a “colour revolution” or “Maidan in Georgia,” calling them completely false and absurd, instead emphasising US support for Georgia’s development and its struggle against Russian aggression.
The claim fits well into the recurring disinformation narrative suggesting a Western policy of staging “colour revolutions” worldwide to destabilise Russia.
Pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.
The 2024 protests in Georgia were not instigated by any foreign power but were driven by a strong rejection among Georgian citizens of the controversial ‘Foreign Agents' law, which critics say mirrors a 2012 law in Russia used to crack down on dissent and suppress NGOs and media, and which could be used to restrict freedom of expression and association.
Read also EUvsDisinfo's articles on “Georgia: Resilience in action” and “Georgia: The next colour revolution?”
See similar disinformation cases: The US plans a colour revolution in Georgia after October elections: The US is preparing a “Tbilisi Maidan” in Georgia; The West is seeking a coup d'état in Georgia; US and EU want to orchestrate Euromaidan-like scenario in Georgia at parliamentary elections; The US plans to change power in Georgia through protests to be blamed on Russia; West plans to orchestrate Georgia maidan, install government to confront Russia; West behind Georgia protests to turn the country into a second front against Russia.