Xenophobia

Politicians

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia, November 3
Vazha Otarashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “The country is on the verge of annihilation; our nation is on the verge of annihilation. You cannot utter every word that comes to your mind. Just stay TV journalists, do not become TV prostitutes, because this is not what serving your country, serving your nation means…And if we want to give up this country, coming under the auspices of Virgin Mary, to Arabs, Turks, Iranians, you, female TV journalists, appear to be nothing but their Geishas…You are not members of a foreign Haramkhana, are not you?”

Asaval-Dasavali, November 18-24
Temur Shashiashvili, The Whites: “I know some perfidious persons who know the exact number of Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Georgia and plot their reckless plans targeting ethnic minorities. In particular, in case of fully proportional elections, allegedly Georgian parties led by Georgian leaders would be set up, but in fact, a party would make a choice on ethnic grounds!.. It will destroy our country…”  

Media

Asaval-Dasavali, November 11-17
Giorgi Gigauri, journalist: “Just look at the textbook of 7th grade “Citizenship,” popularizing “fellow citizenship” of Arabs or Persians… Yes, our children are being taught from their school age that Arabs, Afro-Americans, Iranians and thousands of other aliens will live and study beside them! They are imposing this awful, artificial, far-fetched “tolerance” on our children so that they do not even dare to think nationally! … So, how should not we say simply and clearly that Georgian pupils are getting ready for Georgia’s “Ottomanization” and “Arabization” already from their school age?!”

Turkophobia

Politicians

Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, Alliance of Patriots: “[Speaking in Russian] Almost during a 100-year period, Georgia lost about 60% of its territories, even more. Today Georgia constitutes about 35-40% of what is was 100 years ago. We have lost 33%; the greatest part of our territory – 33% was annexed by Turkey; so, Turkey grabbed 33% of our territory. Now, over half a million people live there who identify themselves as Gurjis, as Georgians…”

Georgia and World, November 6
Jaba Zhvania, journalist: “We should emphasize that not only Batumi as well as entire Adjara is the target of growing economic expansion, but it is one of the important territories from strategic points of view (from both military and other points of view). Just therefore, since the day of Soviet Union’s disintegration, official Ankara has been carrying out creeping economic occupation in the region. However, the plans of our Southern “historical friend” are considerably far-reaching. For it, Adjara is “a historical loss” that is a sign of the fall and weakening of powerful Ottoman Empire; thus, it [Turkey] considers its return to be the issue of its post-Imperial dignity… Simply speaking, what Georgia supposes to be economic occupation or expansion is restoration of “historical justice” for Turkey. This “justice” is nothing, but a declared policy, implying Turkey’s eastern expansion, including official annexation of Adjara. There is nothing new in it.”

Sakinform, November 26
Konstantine Chikviladze, author: “It became clear that Turkey considers Adjara as its part. That the fact is being hushed up confirms what kinds of puppet governments are ruling our country for about 25 years. Georgia is located in the difficult geopolitical region, where a lot of interests are intercrossed, with Turkey being most important, especially if we take into consideration the Davutoğlu Doctrine about revival of the Ottoman Empire, according to which a number of our (and not only) territories are believed to belong to Turkey. Therefore, we should think a lot about this issue…”

News Front

Civil society organizations

Asaval-Dasavali, November 4-10
Tamaz Bakuridze, “For Our Rights:” “Turkey has political claims in respect of Adjara, masking them with economic interests… If Batumi faces any internal or external threat, Turkey can bring its military forces to the port of Batumi! And why does it need to enact the Treaty of Kars, when American cruiser left Batumi the day before yesterday and two NATO ships sailing under the Turkish flag entered instead?! Whether under the aegis of NATO or the independent state, whenever Turkey wants, it can enter Batumi and occupy Adjara! Let’s admit the truth and look the truth in the face – Adjara actually is in the hands of Turkey!

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia, November 9     
Badri Nachkebia, Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence: “All these talks, or even the Defense Minister’s statement on Batumi, it is the reality and I think, Garibashvili’s agency made a statement. According to this statement, Turkey said that it will always have the claims for its closest territories and named among them Bulgaria, Greece and Thessaloniki, as well as Turkmen territory in Syria and our Batumi and Adjara.”

Discrimination on religious grounds

Politicians

Asaval-Dasavali, November 4-10
Levan Chachua, Georgian Idea: “Wait a little and the arriving Muslims, who are buying apartments in Georgia, will overwhelm Georgians by number.”

Akhali Taoba

Society

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia, November 1
Lasha Tsaishvili, theologian: “This government has aligned our Church to all confessions at a legislative level, thus violating historical justice, because it is impossible to align the church to those churches who have the history of only 19th and 20th centuries, while our church has been accompanying Georgia during its entire history…”

Homophobia

Politicians

Georgian Public Broadcaster, Moambe, November 6
Zviad Dzidziguri, Georgian Dream: “I, as a conservative and leader of the Conservative Party, am categorically against oppressing sexual minorities; I am also strongly against propagandizing their rule of life.”

Interpressnews, November 5
Gia Volski, Georgian Dream: “My attitude is that we should strictly observe the anti-discrimination law. At the same time, I do not support propagandizing certain rule of life with such films [And Then We Danced]. There are established, traditional relations in the society and it is not typical only for Georgia…”

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia, November 8
Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, Alliance of Patriots: “The film [And Then We Danced], which is currently underway, is harmfulness and a huge damage; moreover, it is even insulting… There should be the law which… bans LGBT propaganda and agitation. Such law should exist and then everything will be okay. Such films must not been screened… Change of the government is the only way to ban propaganda.”

Kavkasia, Barrier, November 7   
Besik Danelia, Democratic Movement – United Georgia: “What people know for sure is depravity, what the entire world called a disease for 200 years; the American Psychiatric Association… it has now been established that nobody is born a gay or a homosexual, genetically.”

Asaval-Dasavali, November 11-17
Temur Shashiashvili, The Whites: “The reason of confrontation between gay activists and traditional Georgians is not because homosexuals are depraved; the reason of this confrontation is that the gay people want entire Georgia to become gays! Naturally, it will not happen… All Georgia’s misfortunes began when the Georgian Dream government adopted the so called anti-discrimination law. We know for sure that following the May 17, 2013 rally, when TV channels showed a Georgian cleric with a stool in his hand, foreign financing for Georgian homosexuals increased three-fold!”

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia, November 24
Jondi Bagaturia, Georgian Troupe: “There are a lot of traitors there [at the rally outside the Parliament building] and young people, who were initiators of gay pride parade, are now standing there and spearheading the rallies. Do you remember in June [LGBT Week – Tbilisi Pride]… Then we were forced to bring people out not to allow it.”

Asaval-Dasavali, November 18-24
Elizbar Javelidze, People’s Assembly: “It is not the united opposition, but rather LGBT pride! Look who have gathered around Natsi [referring to the National Movement] gang and Bokeria’s sect – supporters of gay pride and applauders of gay films! Everyone, who has been cursed by mother, who is fighting against the Patriarch and the Church, has gathered in and around this so called united opposition!”

Media

Obieqtivi, Gamis Studia-Kvelas Gasagonad, November 12
Valeri Kvaratskhelia, host: “We have the anti-discrimination law, which should definitely exist. Discrimination is unacceptable. Discrimination on ethnic grounds, racial grounds, property qualification and there are many other grounds to discriminate. It should be inadmissible. But when you included LGBT and homosexuality, people having depraved sexual intercourse in this list, it triggers, in terms of legal framework, not only protection of this contingent, but even protection of these propagandists.” 

Asaval-Dasavali, November 18-24
Giorgi Gigauri, journalist: “This film is not only a gay film! It is a well-thought-out anti-Georgian propagandistic diversion in order to defile all sacred for Georgians – traditional family, Georgian dance, Chokha, church, Orthodoxy!... Homosexual “art” of spilling sperm on Georgian sanctity – Chokha – this is a real essence of this Rusudan Tsirekidze [the actor’s mother], her leader and the entire National Movement.”

Georgia and World, November 13
Davit Mkheidze, author: “First of all, it is necessary to immediately abolish the so called anti-discrimination law and we should immediately adopt the law banning LGBT propaganda, similar to the law adopted by Russia, with whom we share common faith, several years ago.”

Civil society organizations

Asaval-Dasavali, November 4-10
Sandro Bregadze, Georgian March: “It is a dirty propaganda of homosexuality and pederasty… It can be said boldly that this gay film [And Then We Danced] is insulting our millennium-old culture, art, dance and the entire Georgian nation! Screening of this films in the cinemas is equal [if not worse] to holding a gay pride! Georgian March, together with Georgian patriots, thwarted the gay pride and we will definitely thwart the screening of this gay film!.. We call on the Georgian Orthodox Church not to allow this depravity in the capital of Georgia or in Adjara and to mobilize its parish! I know one thing: pederasty will never gain a foothold in Georgia! Georgian people will never allow it!”

Georgian Public Broadcaster, Moambe, November 8
Gia Korkotashvili, Georgian Mission: “We will not allow propaganda of the Sodom-Gomorrah sin in Georgia at any cost.”

Asaval-Dasavali, November 11-17
Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Rights Defenders’ Union: “How can you make the Abkhaz and South Ossetian people look back at Georgia, when the country is full of homosexuals and everything is stinking around largely due to the anti-discrimination law? Quite recently, the Abkhaz beat the Scottish people in Sokhumi, who were wearing their national garment – Kilt. The Abkhaz supposed that they were homosexuals and beat them severely. So, will the people with such mentality want to live with us?”

Clerics

Georgian Public Broadcaster, Moambe, November 5
Andria Jamgaidze, head of the Patriarchate’s press office: “The Church is always against the propaganda of depravity. We have similar attitude in this case too, because being familiar with the content of this film [And Then We Danced], we see that it goes against what Christianity is preaching.”

Rezonansi, November 8
Basil Iashagashvili, cleric: “The purpose of this film is to incite passionate desire among same-sex people and portray as if it is natural and normal. It is propaganda of homosexuality. We call on the government and the media to obstruct the film screening; otherwise, they will promote the depravity of young people. It is good that the society expresses protest and plans to hold a rally outside the cinemas. I will go to the rally and stand there. I call on parents do not let their children go and watch the film. I do not think that police disobedience is correct. It will be enough to go there.”

Interpressnews, November 6
Metropolitan Ioane Gamrekeli: “Not a single religion tolerates this sin [homosexuality]. It is condemned by God. Therefore, it is obvious that we will never share the propaganda of this gravest sin. We cannot understand, why should dirtiness rather than purity be promoted?! Why are you doing it? It is unclear to me. You are poisoning young generation through propagandizing dirtiness, depravity, pathological crime, or probably pathological disorder?! It is unclear to me.”  

Society

Asaval-Dasavali, 11-17 November
Levan Vasadze, businessman: “Entire Caucasus is laughing at us; everyone has disparaged us, saying that Georgians have become pederasts. I want to tell all politicians, who are speaking with us vaguely about the necessity of protecting the right of expression – you ignorant goblins!”

Marshalpress

Rezonansi, November 11
Davit Nemsadze, emigrant: “Pseudo-director of a homosexual film, certain [Levan] Akin said that Nino Sukhishvili is no longer the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, because we were expelled for making a homophobic statement… A pederast will never be able to create such movements, such articulation that we have in our national dances.”

Imedi, Kronika, November 8
A participant of the rally: “We are protesting against this gay porno film, which represents propaganda and we condemn it. We have gathered here because we do not want this non-traditional orientation to be established in the country and become something acceptable.”

Imedi, Kronika, November 8
Lasha Khetsuriani, a participant of the rally: “We will do our best not to let them propagandize this depravity, this depraved gay film.”

Anti-Western sentiments

Clerics

Mtavari Arkhi, Post Factum, November 3
Metropolitan Ioane Gamrekeli of Kutaisi-Gaenati Diocese: “It is anti-Christian to propagandize untraditional sexual orientation under the pretext of protecting human rights, under the cover of tolerance. The so called European values require legalization of pathological disorders, influencing public consciousness by arranging pride parades… By placing the Georgian nation within the limits of Russian Empire, God saved it from physical destruction. Not only the nation did not lose its language and religion, but it even created modern Christian culture.” 

Interpressnews, November 8
Davit Lasurashvili, archpriest: “What is happening in our country today is a clear fact that foreign-funded non-governmental organizations are operating in the country; it is just under their patronage that all actions preaching same-sex marriage and generally, the Sodom sin are carried out and promoted.”