DISINFO: West is using every means to destabilise Georgia
SUMMARY
Despite that nearly a month has passed since the elections in Georgia, rallies have resumed. The West is using every means to destabilise this country and keep it dependent on itself.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative framing popular protests in Georgia as a Western-backed ‘colour revolution’. Pro-Kremlin outlets frequently falsely portray popular protests as ‘colour revolutions’ instigated by the US and the West in order to encircle Moscow.
Popular movements in many post-Soviet countries, such as Ukraine's Euromaidan, were primarily driven by internal dissatisfaction with corruption and autocratic governance. The 2024 protests in Georgia erupted in response to the government’s introduction of a contentious ‘foreign agents’ law and its generally pro-Russian orientation. The proposed legislation required organisations and media outlets receiving over 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as ‘agents of foreign influence.’ Many Georgians viewed the law as a threat to the nation’s democratic development and its aspirations for closer ties with the EU.
More protests followed the 26 October 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia, where the pro-Russian ruling Georgia Dream party claimed victory. The elections were marked by serious irregularities and alleged large-scale fraud schemes, which led to many, including the President of Georgia, the opposition and civil society organisations, rejecting the official results. Violations noted by local and international observers contain a pre-election climate of fear and intimidation of civil society, including the passage of the Foreign Agents Law, reports of vote-buying, violations of voter privacy, physical altercations, and controversial changes to election administration rules prior to the vote. See also the Joint Statement by former High Representative Josep Borrell and the European Commission on the Parliamentary elections.
On 28 November, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would suspend EU accession talks after the European Parliament rejected the country’s election results. This triggered a new wave of protests.
Read EUvsDisinfo's articles on the political developments in Georgia: "Twists and turns: Georgian Dream rhetoric on the EU", “Georgia: Resilience in action” and “Georgia: The next colour revolution?”.
See similar cases Georgia has prevented a Maidan-style coup coordinated from abroad and The protests in Tbilisi are repeating the Euromaidan scenario of the American special services.