Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili attributed the recent wave of assaults on government critics to a “spiral of violence” that he said was instigated by NGOs and the radical opposition. The Speaker also accused foreign Embassies and donors of turning a blind eye to what he claimed was “NGO-led violence” during the ongoing rallies against the foreign agents law.
“The foundations of the spiral of violence were laid precisely by the symbiosis of NGOs and the radical opposition, and society is exactly in this spiral,” he said during a lengthy May 10 press conference held at the office of the ruling Georgian Dream party following a meeting of the ruling majority.
Papuashvili’s comments follow a violent campaign of beatings by groups of thugs against government critics, including members of the political opposition. The campaign has intensified in recent days, and victims of the violence have accused the police of failing to act on their reports. A larger number of opponents of the foreign agents law have reported receiving phone calls, including from foreign-registered numbers, in which they and their family members have been subject to insults and threats.
Papuashvili, however, shifted the blame to government-critical NGOs and opposition, accusing them of inciting violence, including through publishing lists of lawmakers who voted in favor of the foreign agents bill.
The Parliament Speaker said the phone numbers of the lawmakers were also made public online, exposing them to threats, and argued that “half of the opposition”, as well as journalists, cheered when MP Aleko Elisashvili physically attacked ruling party MP Mamuka Mdinaradze during a committee hearing of the bill on April 15.
Papuashvili further attributed the “spiral” of violence – a phrase he repeated many times during the briefing – to the trend of condoning violence that he claimed has occurred during previous waves of protests, pointing, among others, at the president’s pardon of Lazare Grigoriadis, who was convicted for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a policeman.
He also accused NGOs of leading violence during ongoing rallies, including by allegedly calling on demonstrators to blockade Parliament and make “direct contact” with police, resulting in violence. Papuashvili again blamed foreign Embassies and donors who fund Georgian NGOs, this time for failing to condemn the alleged acts.
“To this day, I haven’t heard any apology or call from any donor to their own NGOs, nor from any embassy that funds NGOs that call for actions that cause violence,” Papuashvili said.
During the briefing, the Parliament Speaker said he had rejected a request from the heads of the Parliaments’ foreign affairs committees of several countries, including “the Baltic countries, Germany, Poland, and Czechia,” who asked to meet with Papuashvili during their planned visit to Georgia next week.
“I told them that it was not a good time for a visit,” Papuashvili said, citing the third hearing of the foreign agents bill in Parliament during the same period. The speaker said the committee heads were still planning to come to Georgia, adding that he had warned them that “the radical opposition might take their visit here as an encouragement for radical actions.”
Papuashvili also said that one of the six protesters arrested in recent days on charges of violence against police or property damage during the protests was a Russian citizen.
“Congratulations on this so-called anti-Russian rally, which, it seems, was joined by citizens of Russia,” Papuashvili said. “Perhaps we should inquire who this person is.”
Papuashvili argued that the police had responded “appropriately” to the ongoing violence.
Also Read:
- PM Addresses “Sincere, Misled Youths,” Says Opponents Have “Lower IQ”
- Nordic-Baltic Countries: Agents Bill “Incompatible with EU Norms and Values,” Disrupts European Future
- Diplomatic Missions Urge Prevention, Investigation of Intimidation, Violence Against Protesters
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