Thread by @terjehelland

🇬🇪A multidimensional campaign by the pro-Russian party Georgian Dream is currently underway. Let's take a closer look at GD and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili's use of personal threats, violence, disinformation, and double communication.
🧵Here is a thread about the alarming developments in Georgia

Part 1: Personal Threats 🚨 Threats against opposition members and activists are central to Georgian Dream's tactics. The aim is to create fear among opposition members and activists. We are now seeing how these threats affect both political participation and personal safety.

Examples of these threats include anonymous phone calls, threats on social media, and direct confrontations. These actions are not isolated incidents, but part of a coordinated effort.

https://twitter.com/tamarMDF/status/1788481523731075513

In recent days, posters with pictures of activists and opponents of the "Russian law" labeled "Traitor" have also appeared. These posters are being hung up at workplaces, homes, and relatives' houses.

https://twitter.com/zazaabashidze/status/1788464302531228094

Huge resources have been spent on this poster campaign against these individuals.

Bidzina Ivanishvili also threatened the opposition, unfiltered, in a speech on April 29.

https://twitter.com/terjehelland/status/1785035317260538295

The latest is that the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, recently announced that they will create a database for "undesirables."
oc-media.org/georgian-dream…

Parliament member and former central bank governor, Roman Gotsiridze, criticizes "Georgian Dream" for the creation of such a database, calling it a KGB method.

Gotsiridze compares the proposed database to methods used in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, calling it a fascist element. He believes this contradicts the goal of being a state that aspires to EU membership.

Part 2: Violence 💥 Violence is another dark tool in the arsenal of Georgian Dream. From street violence to targeted attacks on activists, these brutalities are intended to intimidate and suppress.

The violence serves two main purposes: PROVOCATION to legitimize harsh responses from riot police, and INTIMIDATION to frighten opponents into passivity and silence.

The use of "titushkys" became particularly active during the ongoing demonstrations against the "Russian law".

https://twitter.com/terjehelland/status/1786843606910906514

In recent days, titushkys have also been directly used against individuals, with key members of the opposition being outright beaten up.

Recordings show Chikovani being attacked by 5 titushkys at the entrance to his home. He is hospitalized with serious injuries after being severely beaten.

https://twitter.com/terjehelland/status/1788603373681283240/video/1

One does not need to be a politician to be beaten up. Here is Gia Japaridze @giajapar, Professor at the University of Georgia. Board Member, Chavchavadze Center.

To be especially intimidating, these attacks were coordinated on May 8th.

https://twitter.com/EtoBuziashvili/status/1788349423946215817

There are also reports that the police have failed to protect the victims or seriously investigate these incidents, suggesting a possible tacit approval or even collaboration.

Part 3: Threats about what will happen without "Russian Law" 🔮 Georgian Dream paints a grim picture of the future without 'Russian Law', claiming it will lead to a military conflict with Russia and an attack on traditional Georgian values.

They claim that without this law, Georgia will become the next target for Russian aggression, which plays on fears for the country's security and sovereignty.

Another part of this narrative is the fear of an "influx" of LGBTQ communities, which exploits and amplifies existing prejudices to manipulate the socially conservative segment of the population.

These threats are used strategically to divide society and create an enemy image that justifies authoritarian measures—such as "Russian Law".

Part 4: Disinformation about NGOs 🕵️‍♂️ Georgian Dream actively spreads disinformation about NGOs, accusing them of being CIA-controlled and against Georgian interests.
rt.com/russia/572803-…

The narrative being attempted to establish is that Georgian organizations are using "secret" funds to undermine Georgia's interests.

This is exactly what Putin did in Russia. Civil society organizations are being targeted for elimination to remove opposition and critical voices.
eurotopics.net/en/273840/russ…

Part 5: Disinformation about Opposition Parties
🎭The Georgian Dream portrays opposition parties, especially the National Movement, as warmongers and Western puppets. This is a classic technique to demonize political rivals.

By labeling them the 'Global War Party,' they seek to scare voters away from supporting them, thereby claiming that they will lead Georgia into unnecessary conflicts.

Other parties are also targeted, such as the liberal Droa Party @DroaParty, partly because they are partners with Girchi-More Freedom, which advocates for the decriminalization of cannabis. They too are already subjected to Georgian Dream's poster propaganda.

Part 6: Ambiguous Communication on EU and NATO
🚪Georgian Dream engages in a double game regarding EU and NATO membership. On one hand, they present themselves as supporters, while on the other hand, they pull the country towards Russia.

This double game is tactical. They signal to Western partners that they are committed to integration while simultaneously undermining these processes internally.
nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…

https://twitter.com/PM_Kobakhidze/status/1762516307587608997

In Georgia, there is a pro-Russian oligarch wielding "all" power through his own party, Georgian Dream. Their "project" evidently aims to maintain and further develop the relationship with Russia, at least to uphold the status quo.

https://twitter.com/terjehelland/status/1785035345567850675

Hence, Ivanishvili tactically included a "promise" of EU membership by 2030 in his speech on April 29th.

Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and their bought parliament members are terrified. They seem to be losing the upcoming election in the fall and are now putting EVERYTHING into preventing this. A sophisticated campaign, straight out of Putin's playbook, is now underway.

If they succeed, Georgia as we know it will cease to exist. Then, Georgia could backtrack from the path towards Europe and once again fall under Russian influence, perhaps even becoming part of the Russian empire.

Reactions and sanctions can prevent this from happening, but action must be taken NOW. We should have learned from the past, especially from the passive response after Russia's invasion of parts of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014.

https://twitter.com/soldier_fella/status/1788389909339754643

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