#United National Movement (UNM)

[timesofocean]

Thousands rally in Georgia to push government on EU membership

New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/rally-in-georgia-to-push-government-on-eu-membership/

Thousands rally in Georgia to push government on EU membership

Belgrade, Serbia (The Times Groupe) – The Georgian capital Tbilisi was filled with thousands of protesters calling on the government to maintain the country’s EU membership course. GEORGIA

On Sunday, demonstrators gathered outside the parliament and urged the government to implement the necessary reforms to integrate Georgia into the European Union.

A rally was organized by the United National Movement (UNM), the main opposition party founded by jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.

They chanted slogans for closer ties with the EU as they waved Georgian and EU flags.

As well as banners supporting Saakashvili, who is serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power, protesters also condemned Russia.

UNM opposition leaders accused the government of backsliding on democracy and acting under Russian influence.

As a result of not meeting the EU’s 12-point criteria, the government of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili failed to secure Georgia’s EU candidate status last year.

After Ukraine applied for EU membership on Feb. 28, just four days after Russia launched its first attack, Georgia and Moldova applied on March 3 last year.

The EU Commission granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova on June 17, but said Georgia’s bid would be reassessed once it met the bloc’s criteria. Times of ocean TIBLISN

[allthegeopolitics]

Georgia’s ruling party has vowed to outlaw virtually all of its political opponents if it wins parliamentary elections later this year. The ban would likely leave Georgia’s already frozen bid to join the EU in tatters, after recent clashes between Tbilisi and Brussels on human rights and the rule of law. On Friday, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the government would seek to ban more than half a dozen parties following October’s critical nationwide vote. That comes days after the ruling Georgian Dream party threatened to dissolve the largest opposition grouping in parliament, the United National Movement (UNM) which was founded by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Continue Reading.

[mariacallous]

In August, the leaders of Georgia’s ruling party gathered in the ancient capital of Mtskheta to outline their plans for if they win the country’s parliamentary elections on Oct. 26. Speaking at a campaign rally near an Orthodox Christian church, the Georgian Dream party’s honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, committed to a measure to ban opposition parties.

“The Oct. 26 elections must turn into Nuremberg trials for the UNM,” Ivanishvili said, referring to the United National Movement, Georgia’s largest opposition party, which left power in 2012 and remains deeply divisive. The moment encapsulated Georgian Dream’s strategy since passing a controversial law in May to regulate so-called “foreign influence” in the country: targeting all perceived threats.

Widespread protests against the Law on Transparency in Foreign Influence—which entered force in August and requires organizations receiving funding from abroad to register as foreign agents—fizzled out months ago. But opposition to Georgian Dream has not disappeared; it has simply changed shape amid increased repression. Nongovernmental organizations refuse to comply with the draconian requirements of the law, and Georgia’s opposition parties have formed unprecedented alliances in an effort to bring a new government to power.

All sides now view the elections this week as a referendum on the country’s future. Georgian Dream portrays itself it is a bulwark against conflict amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, while opposition parties see their victory as the only way to preserve Georgia’s democracy and hopes for membership in the European Union.

Vladimer Mkervalishvili arrived at his office building one day in May to find its outer walls covered with spray paint. The director of Rights Georgia, a prominent human rights organization, Mkervalishvili has not experienced many threats during his career, making the words scrawled outside—calling his employees “traitors,” “fascists,” and “enemies of the country”—unsettling.

Such incidents were common in the spring as the Georgian Parliament debated the foreign influence law and Tbilisi’s streets swelled every evening with protesters carrying EU flags and shouting anti-government slogans. Some opposition activists and political figures even came under attack, targeted with death threats and even physical violence.

The foreign influence law drew large-scale opposition because—compared to similar legislation in some Western countries, including the United States—Georgia’s is more far-reaching, imposing monitoring on nearly all organizations that receive foreign funding. Neighboring Russia has employed its own foreign agents law to give the government wide-ranging powers to muzzle dissent.

After the Georgian law passed, the EU halted Tbilisi’s bid for membership, and the United States began to review its relations with the country, fearing that the law’s passage marked a shift away from the West. Officials in Washington implied that the United States wouldn’t support a government responsible for democratic backsliding. Ties have deteriorated further since, with the EU ambassador in Tbilisi recently announcing the suspension of all high-level meetings with Georgian government officials.

The foreign influence law appears to be just one part of creeping anti-liberalism in the country. A few weeks after Georgian Dream’s announcement of a probable ban on opposition parties, the government gave final approval to a slew of anti-LGBTQ measures, including a ban on same-sex marriage. Though likely an attempt to appeal to traditionalist voters, such moves only add fuel to the argument that the party’s aim is not actually to achieve European integration, but rather to retain power at all costs.

Rights Georgia is the kind of organization that faces a total shutdown as the foreign agents law is implemented. Because of the adversarial nature of the group’s work, which has recently included offering legal assistance to people arrested during this year’s protests, Mkervalishvili assumes that it is among the law’s top targets. Refusing to comply, Rights Georgia prepared to pay mandatory fines earlier this year—a tactic that many NGOs are employing—and hopes that the elections will produce a Parliament ready to revoke the law.

“Fighting against this law—it was not political for us; it was a human rights issue,” Mkervalishvili said.

The organization is involved with a constitutional challenge against the law that is working its way through the courts, but Mkervalishvili admitted that the future is uncertain. He said the fact that September passed without a promised ramp-up in enforcement of the law made him think that officials either don’t have the capacity to fully implement the law or are waiting to do so until after the elections. “We don’t know what their plans are,” he said, adding that potential repercussions depend “on what their main goal is in this situation, and who are the main targets.”

That fear is shared by many people in the political opposition, who are increasingly casting the outcome of the elections as vital for the fate of Georgia’s democracy. “These are the last days—literally—of a free Georgia unless we all do everything to make sure that Georgian Dream is replaced through democratic elections,” said Grigol Gegelia, the foreign secretary for the opposition party Lelo.

Georgian Dream identified Lelo’s electoral coalition, alongside a handful of others, as a group to be banned if it wins the upcoming elections. By the ruling party’s logic, all these parties are offshoots of UNM and therefore carry its controversial legacy of political scandal, brutal crackdowns on protests, and creeping authoritarianism during its time in power. Gegelia refuted these claims by using Lelo as an example; he said that while the party may include some former UNM members, it has no connection beyond that. “This election is about Georgia’s statehood. Full stop,” he added.

Other observers describe the elections as a choice between progress and stagnation—economically as well as politically. “This particular election will be crucial, not only for the future of democracy in Georgia, but also for what kind of Georgia that Georgians want to see,” said Kornely Kakachia, the director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, an independent think tank in Tbilisi.

A major motivation for Georgia’s ongoing effort toward joining the EU, for example, is the perceived economic benefit of full membership. But banning opposition parties and other similar moves are only likely to cement Georgia’s frayed relations with the bloc, which has emphasized that the door remains open to membership talks if the government in Tbilisi walks back anti-democratic initiatives.

As organizations grappled with the surprisingly restrained implementation of the foreign influence law over the past few months, campaigning was getting into full swing. Opposition politicians crisscrossed the country, promising to address pressing issues such as net emigration and economic stagnation—but only after reversing Georgian Dream’s course.

The high stakes of the elections have supercharged Georgia’s already-contentious political environment. Around the time that the foreign influence law passed, there were widespread calls to overcome the divides that have long plagued Georgia’s opposition. In June, President Salome Zourabichvili—an independent politician who holds a largely ceremonial role—announced a plan of action called the Georgian Charter, which would guide an opposition-led government.

For a short time, it seemed that Georgia’s opposition would finally unite as one, but it proved hard to overcome old differences. Opposition parties that initially expressed interest in a broad alliance split into blocs once discussions got underway. Now, a handful of opposition alliances are vying for seats in Parliament: Unity—National Movement, led by UNM; the Coalition for Change, comprising former UNM members and small parties with little prior representation; and Strong Georgia, of which Lelo is a member.

“Unity is very important, but for me, unity doesn’t mean one list,” said Giorgi Gakharia, a former Georgian Dream prime minister who left the party in 2021 and now leads the For Georgia party. His party is running an independent campaign, something that he said will allow it to pull voters away from Georgian Dream.

But that strategy—which Gakharia called a “golden key” to success—could end up benefiting the ruling party, which could use the opposition’s split support—as well as the potential for smaller parties to miss the 5 percent parliamentary threshold—to its advantage.

One recent poll, commissioned by a government-aligned TV station, estimated Georgian Dream’s support at nearly 60 percent of the vote, while another, commissioned by an opposition-aligned station, suggested that the party’s support is closer to 32 percent. Party leaders seem unfazed by this discrepancy, even as they mirror the opposition’s dire rhetoric about the vote.

The opposition’s victory will depend on whether it can pull substantial votes away from Georgian Dream, according to Kakachia, of the Georgian Institute of Politics. “It would be better if the Georgian opposition were united … but it’s still fine if they have three or four different groups,” he said. “The main thing is what they will offer to Georgian voters in order to convince them they are not just able to challenge Georgian Dream, but they can also work together.”

No matter who ends up at the head of the opposition pack, it’s likely that any Parliament not dominated by Georgian Dream will quickly try to undo the ruling party’s work. The opposition’s primary campaign goal is to restore Georgia’s so-called Euro-Atlantic trajectory by rolling back repressive policies. To that end, repealing the foreign influence law is the Georgian Charter’s first action item.

And if Georgian Dream wins? Maka Botchorishvili, a member of Parliament for the ruling party, told Foreign Policy that their plans are to pursue “stability”—a common phrase among party officials—and to develop Georgia’s role as an economic linchpin between East and West. She acknowledged that there are “difficulties” in relations with the EU but brushed off the idea that Georgia’s membership accession is on ice, seeming to imply that Tbilisi can wait Brussels out.

“I would not look at EU enlargement or Georgia’s accession process in a very limited time frame, because that is a big issue,” Botchorishvili said. “It is not ending tomorrow, right?”

Perhaps most striking about the lead-up to this year’s elections is how little Georgian Dream’s messaging has changed, even in the face of immense public dissatisfaction. It still advertises itself as the party for those who dream of EU membership. Its campaign banners across Tbilisi display the party logo mixed with the European flag and words that it hopes will appeal to those voters: “To Europe only with peace, dignity, prosperity.”

[beardedmrbean]

Riot police in Georgia have fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds protesting against a bill seen by the opposition as targeting media freedoms.

Pro-EU protesters clashed with police outside parliament on Tuesday night, denouncing what they see as a Russian-inspired law.

Dozens of people were arrested and an opposition party leader was hurt.

The controversial "foreign agent" bill returned to parliament on Wednesday and MPs approved its second reading.

The EU has warned the bill could harm Tbilisi's bid to join the bloc, and there were scuffles in the chamber when the debate resumed hours after the previous night's unrest.

Several protesters were injured during the clashes on Rustaveli Avenue, outside parliament in Tbilisi, on Tuesday night.

Among them was Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the main opposition party United National Movement (UNM). He posted a picture of his bruised face on social media and later appeared in parliament, his face heavily bandaged.

Eyewitnesses accused some police officers of physically attacking protesters and EU foreign police chief Josep Borrell said he strongly condemned violence against Georgians "who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence".

Deputy interior minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said six officers were hurt and 63 people arrested and he complained that "the rally turned completely violent". He said Mr Khabeishvili had been hurt while trying to break through a police cordon, although his party said he had been beaten by police.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status last December and polls suggest about 80% of the population is in favour of joining.

Protests against the bill began in mid-April, after the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed measures requiring non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and independent media to register as organisations "bearing the interests of a foreign power", if they receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign donors.

They would also be monitored by Georgia's justice ministry and could be forced to share sensitive information - or face hefty fines of up to 25,000 Georgian lari ($9,400; £7,500).

Opponents say the measures are inspired by authoritarian legislation that neighbouring Russia uses to crush dissent. But the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has claimed a Western "global war" party is using the country as part of its confrontation with Russia.

Protesters fear that the proposed foreign influence bill could be used to crush critical voices ahead of the parliamentary elections later this year.

A similar authoritarian law that came into force in Russia in 2012 has since been used to marginalise voices challenging the Kremlin - including prominent cultural figures, media organisations and civil society groups.

Many Georgians fear the measures will derail Georgia from its path towards the much-coveted status of EU membership, says the BBC's South Caucasus correspondent, Rayhan Demytrie.

A number of European leaders have warned the proposed bill is "incompatible" with European norms and values.

But the government of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is standing firm.

Mr Kobakhidze has accused NGOs of attempting to stage revolutions in Georgia twice, of promoting "gay propaganda" and of attacking the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The government insists the bill is about ensuring transparency and rejects the notion that it is against European values - or that Russia is behind the legislation.

On Monday, Mr Ivanishvili told a rally of Georgian Dream supporters that foreign-funded NGOs threatened Georgian sovereignty and that the opposition UNM would be punished for crimes against the state after this year's elections.

Georgia's ceremonial president, Salome Zourabichvili, described the pro-government rally as a "Putin-type" event.

Ms Zourabichvili, who is strongly opposed to the foreign influence bill, has appealed to the interior ministry to stop using "disproportionate force" against protesters.

[thoughtlessarse]

Many Georgians who witnessed the death of a one-party state just over 30 years ago never thought they would live to see the birth of another one. Yet, it appears to be happening in plain sight just ahead of parliamentary elections in October. As its key campaign promise, the incumbent Georgian Dream party is vowing to ban virtually all opposition political parties and rule unilaterally. The governing party’s billionaire founder and Georgia’s effective political puppet-master, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is promising an authoritarian makeover for the country as he makes stops along the campaign trail. Ivanishvili’s threats are directed primarily at the United National Movement (UNM) – the Georgian Dream’s archnemesis and currently the largest opposition party in parliament. But Ivanishvili has also made clear that all his political rivals are subject to being given “red cards” for opposing his agenda. “The October 26 election must become the Nuremberg Trials for the [United] National Movement,” said Ivanishvili at a whistle stop in the historic town of Mtskheta on August 22. Accusing UNM of treasonous acts, Ivanishvili asked voters to help Georgian Dream retain supermajority in the parliament to help initiate the process of outlawing the governing party’s main challenger. 

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[cyberbenb]

Georgian opposition to file complaint to Constitutional Court over 'foreign agents' law

Georgia’s largest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), will file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court on July 29 over the controversial law on “foreign agents,” the party told Radi Source : kyivindependent.com/georgian-…

[nbdnews]

16 arrested in protests against presence of Russian FM’s relatives in Georgia released

Sixteen individuals who were arrested on Saturday for disobedience of police and petty hooliganism in eastern Georgia while protesting the presence of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s relatives for marriage celebrations were released late on Sunday.

The incident followed last week’s landing of the first Russian jet in four years in Tbilisi, shortly after the Kremlin announced lifting of its ban on direct flights with Georgia on May 10, and took place after protesters gathered outside the Kvareli Lake hotel in Kakheti region to voice their displeasure at the presence of Mika Vinokurov, Lavrov’s son-in-law, and Ekaterina Lavrova-Vinokurova, the politician’s daughter, for a planned marriage involving their relatives.

The demonstration, which involved Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria and other opposition politicians, protested the presence of the two individuals on the backdrop of their inclusion in international sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and accused the Georgian Government of “cooperation” with Moscow.

Law enforcement arrested 16 individuals at the protest, with two released the following day after a “verbal note” by a judge. The remaining 14 will face a trial on June 19, lawyers said.

Khoshtaria, who was also detained on Saturday at the police station in the city of Telavi for disobedience of police along with two members of the United National Movement opposition party, was also released and will face a trial on the same date. The two UNM members will receive hearings on June 30.

In his comments on Sunday, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused the demonstrators of “xenophobia” and a part of the domestic opposition of “double standards”.

We had predicted that as the tourist season approached, a new wave of xenophobic campaigns would begin”, Kobakhidze said, contrasting the protests with the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who led the former UNM Government, “personally attending” an event with Russian guests in Georgia shortly after the country’s invasion of Georgia in 2008.

In her press comments on Sunday, President Salome Zourabichvili cited the country’s Interior Minister as saying Lavrov's relatives had left the location following the protests, before criticising the Government for “insulting the Georgian people” and urging them to use lists of sanctioned Russian individuals at border crossings to prevent similar incidents.

In his response, Kobakhidze said sanctions “cannot be applied to family members” and claimed applying restrictions would be “contrary to human rights standards”. He said individuals who had not violated the Georgian law on the country’s Russian-occupied territories would be allowed to enter the country.

[skillstopallmedia]

Big demonstration in Georgia | “We are part of the European family, we reject Russian slavery”

(Tbilisi) Thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday amid growing criticism of the government, accused of pro-Russian authoritarian drift. At the call of the main opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM) founded by the imprisoned ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, the demonstrators waved Georgian, Ukrainian and European Union (EU) flags, behind…

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

DSMP Anniversary Recap: L’MANBERG

After their drug business idea resulted in disaster last time, Wilbur comes back to the server with a second plan: to turn their humble Camarvan into a new, independent server where no Americans are whitelisted.

The first order of business? Build a wall.

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VOD LINKS:

Tubbo [unavailable]

Ponk [unavailable]

TommyInnit

Wilbur Soot

Eret [unavailable]

Punz [unavailable]

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The previous day, Wilbur and Tommy discussed their plans for building an empire as Tommy constructed an underground sewer system, a nation where selling drugs is allowed.

“How do you know Sapnap’s not gonna like, I dunno, you know what they’re like, man, how do we know they’re not gonna…make it a war?” 

“How I see it is they can declare war, they can do whatever they want, but if we just ignore them and don’t acknowledge it, we win. We can’t lose...”

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- Tommy’s noticed that the server is full of fighting, and he wants money. How does one monetize fighting? A fight club! He can make a fight club in his basement

- Alyssa comes over and hands him a poppy with Ponk. Ponk explains that Alyssa is his lawyer

- Wilbur tells Tommy off for being rude to them

- Later, Sapnap comes over to his basement. Tommy touches the “Do Not Touch” chest and falls to his death

- Sapnap likes Tommy’s fight club idea and helps him dig out the room

- Wilbur joins Tommy’s VC as Tommy is speaking with Sapnap and scolds him for talking with an American, pulling him into a different VC.

Last time, they tried to sell drugs out of their hotdog van and some people didn’t approve of that. This time? Wilbur wants a revolution.

Wilbur: “Starting a movement is easy. You know, Tommy? Anyone can start a movement. Movements are cool. If you start a movement towards a common good, you’re cool! You know? Nothing ever goes wrong! Revolutions are hard, Tommy. Lots of people are gonna oppose us, Tommy.”

- The first thing they need to do…is build a wall

- Wilbur logs on in the Camarvan and sees Tubbo’s package of blaze rods. Tommy asks how much armor he should be wearing, Wilbur says none

Wilbur: “We don’t win wars with battles and with armor. We win wars with our words, Tommy. We’re starting a revolution, not a war.”

- He opens the package of blaze rods from Tubbo and talks about how his wildest dream is a nation where they can sell drugs with no one to stop them

Wilbur: “Why are you being all quiet and slow to talk to me?”

Tommy: “No no no, I’m just trying to decipher who’s on the right side of history right now.”

- Wilbur shows Tommy all the blaze rods. They’re on the right side of history. Tommy shows Wilbur the flaming hotdog on top of the van. He likes it

- The first law of their new place is that no UHC block placement is allowed (he demonstrates by parkouring across the water). That’s banned

- Sapnap comes over and gives Wilbur some blaze rods

Wilbur: “Oh yeah, you can’t buy our peace from your tyranny.”

Sapnap: (whispering to Wilbur) I’ve changed Sapnap: just Sapnap: look Sapnap: Ive tried brewing

Wilbur: once an American always an American

- Tommy punches him away and Sapnap goes away. They call him. Sapnap says, though he can’t join their posse, once their empire grows he wants to buy their potions. He’s possibly addicted to their supply. They have their first export

- Wilbur needs sand, gravel and dandelions for the wall. He sends Tommy on his way. Tommy asks the new empire’s policy on women. Wilbur says they’re allowed as long as they’re European

- Wilbur starts drawing out the border and asks him what their new nation should be called

- Dream logs on. Tommy asks Wilbur how he and Dream have been since they flirted. Wilbur says he just wants to rob George of his loves. Wilbur asks Dream if he wants to kiss

Wilbur: “He’s not responding. Is he gonna ban me for xenophobia?”

Dream: (in chat) who

Wilbur: (in chat) you

Tommy: “What’s…what’s ‘xeno…?’”

Wilbur: “A distaste towards other countries.”

Tommy: “Oh look, here’s Tubbo. He’s on his own adventure.”

Dream: social distancing

Wilbur: SMART

Tubbo fell from a high place.

- Wilbur screams after getting startled by Tommy coming into the van. Tommy throws him a carrot (“Have a carrot, please, calm yourself”) and gives Wilbur the supplies for the concrete

- Tommy goes to speak with “Small T” (Tubbo) and they get him in VC. Tommy tells him “viva la revolution!” and asks for some sand. They also need black dye

Wilbur: “Tubbo, what’s your stance on the States?”

Tubbo: “Those United States? I mean, I’ve heard stuff’s pretty nuts over there so I guess it’s not going great for them.”

Wilbur: “Yeah, we’re pulling a reverse independence.”

Tommy: “Yeah, we’re taking away their independence!”

Wilbur: “No no no no no, we’re not – no no, they’re staying independent. We’re claiming independence from the server.”

Tubbo: “I thought everyone was already independent? Everyone can already do what they want.”

Wilbur: “No, see, when you’re on this server, you’re on the Dream SMP, right? Yeah, we’re making our own land so that when you are in our borders you are no longer on the Dream SMP.”

Tubbo: “Oh…okay…”

- From the drug war a few days ago, Wilbur’s decided that the Americans can’t be trusted to run their own nation

Wilbur: “So what we’re doing is we’re – we’re taking control. We’re making our own nation.”

Tubbo: “Nice!”

Wilbur: “Our own server. And we’re gonna make the Americans pay for it!”

Tubbo: “Wai– uhhhh…”

Wilbur: “See the thing is, Tubbo, server upkeep costs money. A pittance to Dream, may I add, the billionaire thing he is, but like, we still – we’re gonna be still not paying a single penny for the upkeep of the server. But we will have our own independent emancipated land that will not be part of the server.”

- Tubbo is onboard. They ask Tubbo for name suggestions. Tubbo suggests “Not Dream SMP.” Wilbur wants something more original

- Tommy comes back with an idea. There’s only one woman on the server, and they won’t be letting her into the state since she’s American, so what he’s thinking is:

Tommy: “Why don’t we call it…Manberg? Or alternatively, Mantopia?”

Wilbur: “I like Mantopia. But how do we make it European? United Manberg.”

Tommy: “United Mantopia. UNM – wait, lemme Google if it means anything offensive—"

- Since it only stands for the University of New Mexico, Tommy decides it’s good. But Wilbur realizes it sounds too much like the United States

Wilbur: “What about ‘Le?’ Le-Man-berg.”

Tommy: (in chat) le man burg

- Wilbur declares it “L’manberg,” as that’s how the French do it – and the French are quite big on their revolutions. “Lemonburg” is declared a slur in their nation. They will cancel anyone who calls it that

- Tubbo takes off his armor and they discuss “war-winning words.” Wilbur quotes Hamilton and Tommy suspects him of lyric pranking

- Wilbur is the general of L’manberg and Tommy is his right-hand man. Tommy suggests they make the Camarvan an embassy but Wilbur declares it the capital, the state building instead

- Tommy gives Wilbur a stone hoe and Wilbur hoes a single piece of land outside the van before getting an idea. He hoes another piece of land and declares it the “unsullied ground.” Tommy starts singing Hallelujah to it

- Wilbur wants revolutionary skins. He wants a redcoat skin. Their slogan? “L’manberg: We are alarming.”

- There is a hidden clause in Tubbo and Tommy joining L’manberg, and that is that they will have to have houses there. They are citizens

- Tubbo spends a minute spinning around trying to find Wilbur

- They spot Dream nearby and go to speak to him. He says he’s just chilling. Wilbur tells Tommy to shout war words at him

- Dream joins the call and they tell him that “L’manberg” is seceding from Dream SMP. This is their own server now. Dream notes that it seems pretty small, but Wilbur tells him it’s what they do with it that counts

- Dream asks what happens if the rest of the server decides to take over the land. Wilbur says that’s not how servers work. The laws – or “gamerules,” rather, of their server is that PvP is turned off. Wilbur tells him that he’s not whitelisted in their server and has to stay out. All they want is Dream’s acknowledgement – and he’s paying for it

- Wilbur tells him he can set up his own visa and whitelist for Dream SMP and that they don’t need anything outside of these walls. All Tommy and Tubbo need is to move all their items there. Dream is skeptical and asks Tubbo if he’s really doing that

Tubbo: “…HEYYY, so I was born in the Dream SMP, and um…”

Tommy: “Yeah yeah, as was I! I was also born over there so really, we have duo citizenship—”

Wilbur: “—There’s no dual citizenship in our nation. Our nation has zero dual citizenship.”

Tubbo: (crosstalk) “Wait, why are you making it difficult for us?”

Wilbur: “Look at me. Do you boys care about the revolution?”

Tommy: “…Yes.”

Wilbur: “Look, Dream isn’t our enemy. He’s our neighbor. But, we are seceding from his tyrannical rule.”

Tubbo: “What’s ‘tyrannical’ mean?”

Wilbur: (laughs) “Big words. That’s what we use in war. Say it, Tubbo.”

Tubbo: “Tyran-zanical.”

- They argue back and forth about infinite women

- Tommy suggests that they call his land, which is in Dream SMP, an embassy instead. In return, Dream can set up an embassy in L’manberg

- Eret logs on and Dream walks away

- It’s time to make Invisibility potions. Eret joins the call and they fill him in

- Wilbur locks Tommy and Tubbo in the van until they make Invisibility potions and leaves. Neither of them want to play with “the weird neighbor’s child”

- Wilbur explains to Eret that the issue last time was not the drugs, but that the Americans got involved and now they’re making their own server where Americans aren’t whitelisted. Eret already has visa by being a European. 

They’re calling it “Drexit”

- Tommy goes to his base to establish the embassy. Wilbur makes a “scum window” in the wall

- Tommy sees Dream at the embassy, telling him he has to follow the L’manburg rules on the land

- Tommy is allowed to start a “fight club” not just in his embassy, but even in L’manburg itself 

- Wilbur is horrified when he notices that the holy soil has become untilled. He calls Eret over and they re-till it 

- Wilbur declares the four of them the founding fathers. Tommy asks if he is Hamilton 

Tubbo: “Was Abraham Lincoln a founding father?”

Wilbur: “No, he was several hundred years after.”

Tubbo: “Oh.”

Eret: “Just a few hundred years off, you know? Easy mistake to make.”

Tubbo: “Better late than never.”

- Tommy yells at Tubbo for going through his chests and threatens to kill him. Eret and Wilbur start whispering to each other and Tommy and Tubbo become self-aware 

- Tommy notices Alyssa and Dream approaching the embassy

Tommy: “Good news and bad news. I’ve got you a woman. Bad news? She’s American.”

- Wilbur starts laughing so hard he has to stand up and walk away while Tommy and Dream bicker

- Tommy calls Niki on the phone, telling her they need women who aren’t American, but Niki isn’t whitelisted yet. Tommy asks Dream to add her and he declines. Wilbur tells Dream not to add her as it would delegitimize the manhood of L’manburg

Tommy: Too shay

Dream: too shay

- Wilbur, hungry, goes “manfishing,” whispering “salmon” repeatedly as he kills them

- Both Tubbo and Eret have done well. Wilbur tells Tommy he really is the “Hamilton” of their nation and hasn’t done much for them

- The signature meal of L’manburg is salmon

- Tommy and Wilbur start rapping “Non-Stop” from Hamilton the musical

- Wilbur and Tommy walk and talk

Wilbur: “Look around.”

Tommy: “At how happy we are to be alive right now.”

- Wilbur reminds Tommy of how far they’ve come, but Tommy has done very little in terms of setting up. Tommy takes Wilbur to the embassy

- Wilbur changes the sign on Tommy’s house to read “L’Manburg Embassy” and says he feels that Tommy isn’t fully devoted to the cause. Tommy doesn’t want to give up his home and tries suggesting the Power Tower instead

- Wilbur leaves Tommy and returns to L’manburg

Wilbur: “Chat…I think we’ve lost him. I think we’ve lost TommyInnit.”

- Wilbur doesn’t approve of Tommy living with the enemy. Tommy finally agrees to give up his home to be the embassy

- Wilbur tells them it’s time to don the skins

- Tommy notices that the forest outside L’manburg’s borders is on fire. In the distance he spots Alyssa and angrily runs after her

Tommy: “Wilbur! Wilbur! Do I kill the woman?”

Tubbo: “Yes!”

Wilbur: “Yes! Yes, Tommy! You kill the woman!”

- Wilbur and Tubbo start running after as well

Eret: “I thought we use our words! I thought we used our words!”

Tommy: “No.”

Wilbur: “Not in this case. Anyone -- they’ve tried to burn down our forest.”

Tubbo: “We care most about the forest.”

- They are like the Lorax. Alyssa combat logs. When she logs back in, Tommy kills her. Punz immediately shoots Tommy down, outraged that he would kill a woman

- Alyssa calls them and asks for her stuff back, saying she didn’t start the forest fire. Sapnap logs on and arrives with Punz. They start walking back

- The fire is still spreading and Tommy thinks it might be a political attack. Wilbur turns around and tells Tommy to go home. This isn’t a political attack and Tommy is too dangerous, running his mouth and talking too much

Tommy: “Tell me the thing he says in the second song of the musical Hamilton.”

Wilbur: “I think about death so much it feels more like a memory.”

- Wilbur dismisses Tommy, growing more and more annoyed as Tommy keeps on reciting various song lyrics to him

- Sapnap and Dream arrive as Wilbur goes off to get materials. Punz puts out the forest fire and Fundy has just logged on, confused

- Sapnap and Dream take Tubbo hostage in a hole in the ground. Tubbo drops Tommy an Invisibility potion

- Sapnap and Dream kill them as Wilbur arrives, losing them the Invisibility potions

- Wilbur gathers everyone in the Camarvan, a book and quill in hand. It’s time to draft the Declaration:

---

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE

Signed: Wilbur Soot Tubbo_ TommyInnit ERET

Forever the nation of the DreamSMP have cast great sins upon our great land of the hto dog van.

They have robbed us. Imprisoned us. Threatened us. Killed many of our men.

This time of tyranny ends with us

This book declares that the nation which shall be henceforth known as L’Manberg is seperate, emancipated and independant from the nation of DreamSMP.

The union of the masters of men. Together we are one. When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one to dissolve the bonds which bind us. Disregarding of this truth is nothing short of tyranny.

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT. THAT ALL _MEN_ ARE CREATED EQUAL

The right of the people exists above the right of the king. The right of the government and the right of the economy.

From the hto dog van we shall prevail.

Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of victory.

---

- The four sign the Declaration on the roof of the Camarvan, witnessed by Dream, Sapnap, Punz and Fundy watching from afar. Wilbur frames it in the van

- An invisible person arrives in the van to deliver a second book:

---

Declaration Of War

Sometimes you just gotta kill some people sometimes yaknow - Sun Tzu

Dream SMP declares war on la’manburg

JOINT RESOLUTION --PUNZ --SAPNAP --DREAM

---

- Wilbur and Dream exchange books

- Wilbur gives some motivational words to the L’manburgians. This is how they consolidate can power. This is an opportunity

Wilbur: “We do not fight a war of – of the war of greater sticks. We’re not looking for technological advancement, right. The war we’re fighting is gonna be done through guerilla tactics. It’s gonna be done through attrition…”

“And I want you guys on my side.”

---

UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY DATES:

July 31: Fundy becomes Wilbur’s son

August 2: Doomsday

August 3: Jack Manifold joins the server

August 6: Niki joins the server

August 9: Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo create a drug park

[ukrainianfellow]

The opposition continues to blackmail the "Georgian Dream", threaten and destabilize the Georgian society.

If the ruling Georgian Dream party does not make concessions to the opposition and hold repeated parliamentary elections, the international community will intervene. On January 27, one of the leaders of the United National Movement party, Salome Samadashvili, stated this on the air of Public Television.

"If we come to a one-party parliament, the strategy of the international partners will, of course, change," the UNM representative threatened. She hopes that if representatives of the opposition and the authorities do not come to an agreement, then international pressure will be exerted on the Georgian government. Samadashvili cited the parliamentary elections in Serbia in 2020 as an example. “The international community put pressure on the government after the elections, and the government had to hold early elections. I think that similar processes will develop in our country, too, ”Samadashvili noted arrogantly, comparing Georgia with Serbia.

Also on Wednesday, January 27, Salome said on the air of the Palitra News TV channel that the political situation that has developed in Georgia does not allow the country to come close to joining the European Union. Earlier, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that Georgia would apply for EU membership in 2024, and to this end, government representatives began to hold consultations in Europe.

“It's a little funny when, against the backdrop of what is happening in the country, Georgian Dream says that they will apply to join the European Union during their rule. In this political situation, which has developed, Georgia will have no chances to come nearer to joining the EU, ”Salome laughed at the ruling party.

Thus, Samadashvili is trying with some far-fetched facts and reasons to openly blackmail the ruling party in the face of its Western partners and the entire Georgian people, who, in her opinion, day and night only dream of joining the European Union. Although now everyone in the country already understands: whoever holds the majority in parliament, Georgia will still be very far from EU standards and joining it for a long time. Therefore, any attempts by Samadashvili to accuse the ruling party of all sins seem ridiculous, and her statements only destabilize and shake the Georgian society.

In addition, representatives of the opposition are again beginning to threaten the tranquility of a country that has long been tired of continuous crises with revolutions. Thus, one of the leaders of the United National Movement party, Khatia Dekanoidze, on January 25 suddenly announced that all the possibilities for negotiations between representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the leaders of the opposition parties in Georgia were "exhausted", and the next step would now be a "peaceful revolution" ... “I am preparing for a peaceful revolution in all its forms. A peaceful revolution is a revolution in which we will peacefully accept power from the ruling party through elections, with a great mood, with protest actions, ”Dekanoidze said. The leader of the Girchi - More Freedom party, Zurab Japaridze, also stated that it is necessary to "change the government" in a revolutionary way in Georgia. He also noted that he was in favor of "peaceful" protests.

True, the people have now become much smarter and are well aware that lately in the world almost all "peaceful" revolutions end in blood, and the leaders who have come to power, over time, fall ill with the same vices as their predecessors …

[cloudtales]

Georgia: Police storm opposition headquarters to arrest leader Nika Melia

Georgia: Police storm opposition headquarters to arrest leader Nika Melia

Georgian police this morning stormed the headquarters of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party in Tbilisi, and arrested the party’s leader Nika Melia and dozens of others. Police reportedly using batons and chemical irritants against UNM supporters who allegedly tried to block police entry into the building. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central…

[mariacallous]

“Choose peace not war” is the main message from Georgian Dream, the party that has been in power in Georgia for the past 12 years.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is featuring prominently in the governing party’s parliamentary election campaign, ahead of a decisive choice for Georgians on 26 October.

Billboards featuring images of bombed-out Ukrainian churches and swimming pools, burnt-out buses and school classrooms are contrasted with peaceful images from Georgia.

The implication is that the opposition will drag Georgia into a Ukraine-style war, while Georgian Dream can guarantee peace.

It is a powerful message in a country of 3.7 million people that borders Russia and suffered a short, but devastating conflict with its neighbour in 2008.

The real threat, says the country's opposition, represented in the forthcoming elections by several pro-Western coalitions, is the loss of Georgian democracy along with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the European Union.

Georgia received candidate status to join the EU in December 2023, but the European Union has frozen the accession process due to increased anti-Western rhetoric by Georgian Dream and the passing of a controversial “foreign influence” law in June 2024.

It was a law that brought tens of thousands of young Georgian protesters onto the streets in the spring. The law requires media and civil society groups funded from abroad to register as acting in the interest of a foreign power. Protesters saw it as a threat to the country's democracy and its future in Europe.

Critics say it was inspired by a Russian law used to crush dissent.

Georgia's most powerful man, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, has promised to outlaw opposition groups if Georgian Dream wins. He founded the party and is currently the honorary chairman.

He lumps all the opposition groups together as a collective United National Movement, or UNM, the name of Georgia’s largest opposition party.

“Today, the collective UNM supported from abroad is trying to come to power through unrest and get this country entangled in war and chaos,” Ivanishvili told supporters in Batumi on 10 October.

“This is to end once and for all. This is why Georgia needs the ruling party to win a constitutional majority in the 26 October elections.”

The risk of war and other “threats” feature prominently in pro-government media.

These include the idea that Europe wants to make Georgian men gay, or that an army of “foreign agents” from the country's vibrant civil society and free media are part of a Western “Global War Party” conspiracy to foment revolution.

In the western city of Kutaisi, a crowd of several hundred supporters listen to Nika Gvaramia, from the opposition Coalition for Change, as he speaks from a stage backlit by EU and Georgian flags on flat screens.

“Our future is in Europe,” he cries.

His coalition aims to attract Georgia's Gen Z voters – the very people who came out in big numbers to protest against the “foreign influence” law.

Leaving the stage, he told the BBC the parliamentary election was in essence a referendum on Georgia's European future.

“There is no such thing as some kind of threat to peace in Georgia," Gvaramia said. "That's Russian propaganda. The main point of our agenda is how to survive. How to save our homeland. That is an issue of Russia or Europe.”

The opposition is hoping next week’s vote will bring in the first coalition government in Georgia and an end to what they describe as “one-party rule” by Georgian Dream.

But, with Bidzina Ivanishvili at its helm, Georgian Dream is confident it will secure a decisive victory.

“We have reached a historical maximum approval rating mainly due to two factors. The first is that despite challenges peace is ensured in our country. The second is quick economic growth over the past three to four years,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze as he presented his party's election programme on 7 October.

Critics instead point to the number of Georgians heading abroad in search of work. According to official statistics, 243,000 emigrated in 2023.

“If the economy is doing so incredibly well why are Georgians leaving the country?” asks Zviad Adzinbaia, a senior fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

The opposition has complained the authorities have not set up enough polling stations outside Georgia to accommodate their votes.

The Central Election Commission announced last month that it would open 60 polling stations in 42 countries.

The EU, US and UK have all spoken out against the direction Georgian Dream is pulling its country, with talk of democratic backsliding and narratives that serve only Russia.

On Tuesday, the UK froze its annual security dialogue with Georgia, with its ambassador to Tbilisi citing concerns about the decline of democracy and anti-Western rhetoric from the Georgian government.

The Kremlin insists it is not interfering in Georgia’s domestic affairs, arguing it is the West making “brazen attempts” to put pressure on the government.

Beyond the big cities, though, it is not geopolitics that pre-occupy many Georgians.

For months, Tamaz Neparidze, 66, and dozens of others from Shukruti protested outside parliament in Tbilisi, saying their village on a hillside above the town of Chiatura was collapsing because of a vast underground mine network.

They blamed the mining company and the government for their plight.

“I have lost all expectations. I don't think I will vote in these elections I don't believe in any of it,” said Tamaz.

[cyberbenb]

Georgia's opposition party says masked men attacked its Tbilisi office

A Tbilisi office of United National Movement (UNM), a Georgian opposition party, was attacked by up to 100 masked men overnight on June 1, the party said in a statement. UNM, founded by imprisoned ex- Source : kyivindependent.com/saakashvi…

[ukrainianfellow]

If a crime is committed, seek for someone who benefits from it

Today the "nationals" are trying to destabilize the situation in Georgia. All the years of being in opposition, they were only engaged in trying to undermine the power by all available means and methods in order to regain control of it.

And in a small provincial town, even though it is a regional center, a loud robbery takes place. As in the best action movies, a criminal with a gun comes to the bank, takes hostages, demands $ 500,000 and a guarantee of safe leaving. A similar case took place in Georgia more than a century ago - the famous daring "robbery of the loot" with the participation of the legendary Kamo in Tiflis on Erivan Square, about which books and films were made.

Even the ancient Romans established an immutable truth: If a crime is committed, look for someone who benefits from it. And this hype is beneficial to the political force "United National Movement". It is the "donkey ears" of this party that stick out from under the criminal cap.

Most likely, the calculation was that the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs under the premiership of Giorgi Gakharia, suppressing the crime, would react decisively and harshly. Obviously, the storming of the bank building by special forces was expected, as a result of which, most likely, there would be inevitable victims, about which the opposition would raise a wild howl and would use this circumstance as a trump card in the election game.

But the current Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has again turned out to be at its best and political competitors are no longer pouring water on the mill. The bulk of the hostages were released, the money was paid and the criminal was given a corridor. Today one can talk a lot about the fact that the authorities should not enter into negotiations with terrorists and blackmailers, but in this situation the ruling Georgian Dream party did absolutely right.

Only a very naive person can think that a lone criminal took and decided to rob a bank a few days before the scheduled parliamentary elections in Georgia. The reaction of the opposition spectrum speaks for itself.

The offender, having recognized Irakli Kvaratskhelia, a former official from the "Nationals" party, made him his intermediary in order to convey his demands. For some reason, he contacted the director general of the opposition TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, the notorious Nika Gvaramia, who immediately wrote a sensational statement on the social network Facebook:

“We know everything: who, where, what and when. Today we cooperate with the police all day, they found out about everything from us, they were not aware at all. We know how all this is happening at the moment. Today, at the request of the police, we did not talk about all this publicly. We took the public interest into account. Tomorrow we will definitely publish everything and, I hope, if the Georgian government does not thank us, it will at least apologize. ”

It is completely incomprehensible for the government to apologize for it, but such awareness of the crime raises quite legitimate suspicions.

The authorities have already called the opposition's behavior political looting and absolutely justifiably accused them of trying to score political points before the elections, to fish in troubled waters, which they, most likely, themselves stirred up.

Another confirmation of this is the comment of Mikhail Saakashvili, the former president, and now convicted in absentia and wanted by a criminal:

“This could not have been imagined in Georgia even during Shevardnadze's time, not to mention our time. This is impossible to imagine in any other country, at least in a slightly organized state. The fact is that the Georgian state was practically destroyed, and yesterday we were convinced of this. "

Here you cannot argue with the fugitive ex-president. In his time, this was really impossible, because he and his party had a monopoly on crime. They could not allow some outside bandits to rob other people's wealth, which they legally considered their own. He is also right that the Georgian state has practically been destroyed. Only Mikheil did not say who exactly did it. Such modesty is not typical for him at all. He believes that the police missed the robbery only because they are fully focused on the fight against the United National Movement. It's primitive.

Here the police can be accused of insufficient concentration, because the opposition's plans to destabilize the situation before the elections and its sharp activation, the police had to take into account.

It is not known where the robber is today, but no one should be surprised if half a million dollars ends up in the UNM party treasury, just like Kamo's royal rubles in the Bolshevik party treasury. There is one more completely obvious proof that this robbery was the work of UNM. Crime, weapons and violence are the only recognizable signature of this political force. This time it was not possible with blood, but there is no doubt that there will be many more incidents before the elections: robberies, attacks on party offices and shootings.

Shooting already took place in Zugdidi, in Kobuleti there was an attack on collectors with theft of 75 thousand dollars. It is not for nothing that Saakashvili accuses Bidzina Ivanishvili of all this and demands that the Georgian people immediately replace him with themselves.

[alexsmitposts]

Georgian Rustavi2 TV Journalist Suffers NED-Inspired Diarrhea of the Mouth They will never cease to amaze me, the new depths, even as reported by the BBC … the so-called Georgian media can reach when spurring out carefully scripted hate speech for political ends. Take the case of the Rustavi2 TV station, on a programme aired nationally in Georgia, PS, PostScript, on Sunday July 7th. This highly rated TV station was once hailed as the voice of freedom, moderation and high journalistic standards, at least according to American media sites and the US State Department, but times do change, and so do not-so-hidden-agendas. This time the target was Vladimir Putin and his pedigree, and the attack included all kinds of descriptive expletives for his mother and parents graves. They were so bad even a seedy Georgian taxi driver would blush. There was a counter protest against this behaviour, as likely anticipated by the channel and the scriptwriters of this latest media provocation. But this only convinced Georgians that the Russians were trying to take over the streets, as the allegedly pro-EU United National Movement and its pseudo splinter parties have been doing for the past two weeks. Little Mind Trying to Express Itself Georgi Gabunia, who is claimed to be a journalist, is apparently the mouthpiece here, commenting on this and other events: the anti-government protests (really a failed coup) and the repeated efforts to hold Gay Pride rallies, which are all coming together as a perfect storm. What few are taking notice of is that these actions are not homegrown, and are carefully designed to divert public attention from larger and more pressing issues—like the economy and debt (banking) crisis in Georgia, notwithstanding many social problems. As was to be expected, Russia took exception to the expletive-laden personal attack on Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation. Russian MPs have already threatened to further cut trade amid a deepening diplomatic row between the two neighbouring countries. Relations having soured last month after a visit by a Russian Orthodox MP to Georgia’s parliament set off angry protests, and this TV stunt would not have been an accident in these circumstances. Many, including myself, considered the reaction as an ambush. Gabunia also referred to Russian people as “slaves” in his rant, and told them to get out of Georgia. This is in the wake of Georgian government statements that Russians can feel safe here and are welcomed as guests. The remarks prompted complaints the next day from the Kremlin and the Russian foreign ministry, which portrayed Gabunia as a radical and uneducated, and said the Georgian government, had not done enough to control anti-Russian sentiment. “We believe they are totally unacceptable and deserve condemnation,” said the Kremlin press spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the remarks. They were the “consequences of the reluctance or unpreparedness of the authorities to keep extremists at bay right from the beginning”. Russia’s foreign ministry echoed Peskov’s comments, calling the television monologue a “provocation by radical Georgian forces designed to undermine Russian-Georgian relations”. “The current outrageous incident is a clear example of where rabid anti-Russian sentiment leads,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Georgian president, Salome Zurabishvili, also urged restraint, condemning “hate speech” in a Facebook post. Who stands behind such stunts? Someone paid money and Gabunia said what they wanted him to say. As one teacher at a Georgian university wrote to me, “they must have given him a lot of money to do so. The head of Rustavi 2 put on a special programme a few minutes later, after the verbal abuse, and apologised for his co-worker. But I think this was also a performance.” Her student shared something similar … “The stupid puppet did it for $$$, and now ordinary people will suffer. Even in my job I can’t do anything without confirmation from one of the bosses– it is impossible to act in such a way on a TV channel.” As reported in several media outlets, the Georgian Foreign Ministry also condemned the journalist. “[The comments made on air on “Rustavi 2″] have nothing to do with freedom of speech and [are] a provocation clearly aimed at complicating an already difficult situation in Russian-Georgian relations.” Russians Did It! Some are nevertheless quick to lay the blame at the Russians for all that is transpiring. As one graduate student from Caucasus University, which just happens to be initially funded by the US State Department, and currently serves as command center for the United National Party, UNM shared: “Gabunia’s filthy speech was a planned by Saakashvili and his criminal group here and in Ukraine. I consider them all to be agents of Russia: Gvaramia, Gabunia, Saakashvili, Bokeria, Ugulava… All of them work for the Russians. These pseudo Orthodox groups are also agents of Russian influence too. “What a horrible picture we see in this country! I think the Russian hybrid war specialists will get a high salary for these 2 months. They have done the job perfectly … they have managed to divide Georgian society.” Timing is Paramount Considering the recent efforts to storm and occupy the Georgian Parliament, what is now happening is more than simple a sideshow, a one-off incident. President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili said that such behaviour runs counter to Georgian traditions. Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze also criticized the TV presenter. But this is not the first such incident associated with Rustavi2, and on earlier occasions, as reported by Georgian Public TV, the same journalist was caught making anti-Christian remarks. Members of the Georgian March Movement held a protest at the Rustavi 2 building back in March 2018. They slammed the anti-Christian statements made by the same journalist and demanded that Giorgi Gabunia apologise. Then Niels Scott, the UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia, commented: “We may agree or disagree with what the journalist said, but violence is unacceptable”. He expressed the hope that the government will duly respond to the incident and prevent similar ones occurring in the future. The Future is Now! Scott acknowledges that freedom of speech must be protected, and the media should have internal regulation which will determine what is ethical and what is not. Resolution of this issue by violence is absolutely unacceptable But it is obvious that all these events are part of a larger pattern and zero sum game. Some of the journalists at Rustavi2 have been trained under the guise of various American media development projects, especially those funded by NED, and at least one did an internship with the US based National Security News Agency. It is only necessary to connect the dots and all will be clear, especially in the light of US and NATO plans for Ukraine and Iran. There is a familiar footprint – the CIA/NED and American dollars. None of what is happening in Georgia, and especially how it is reported, is about domestic issues and people taking exception to a government that has not delivered on its promises. It is externally funded, and focused on dividing the people and weakening the government in support of outside interests. Hopefully, and the sooner the better, the Georgian people will wake up and take notice of how they are being manipulated. One only needs to look back at who gave us the Rose Revolution in 2003 or Ukraine’s Maiden Square in 2014. It would come as no surprise to Georgian watchers if they see Victoria Nurland passing out cookies and sandwiches in the centre of Tbilisi in the not-too-distant future, and we know what comes next – blood. The problem is that you cannot ask a mob to be clever. But at the same time one needs to keep in mind that a mob is ruled by clever people, who need stupid people to follow and do the wicked things. What does Georgia gain by all of this, protests, Rustavi2 and name calling? It is like 2008, when John McCain and some other people wanted to start a war in Georgia and the region. We already know the players and their backers. My theory is that America needs to destroy all relations between Georgia and Russia so that it can start a war with Iran. Unfortunately Georgia will be destroyed in that process, if not directly then by refugee flows. This is why some powers want to destroy the current government and bring back the crooks from before. Then they can do what they want, and it won’t matter how many Georgians and other innocents die in the process. This is not the end of this never ending circus, and perhaps the round will involve blood, Georgian-on-Georgian, so to raise the stakes. And we will know who really to blame!

[mariacallous]

TBILISI — Am I delusional?

Reporting on Georgian politics ahead of Saturday’s decisive parliamentary elections, I find myself struggling with this question over and over again.

Turn on the TV here, and the vote is portrayed as an existential binary. Pro-government channels parrot the ruling party, framing it as a choice between “war and peace,” while opposition channels call it a choice between the European Union and Russia. No grey areas.

But is this really the decision Georgians are making? Is the binary that clear cut? I’m not so sure.

To understand the political situation in any country, Georgia included, ask a cab driver, the old adage goes. Maybe the average Joe — or in this case, Giorgi — could shed some light.

As he steered his cab through Tbilisi’s winding roads, driving me home from the airport at 5 a.m., Giorgi gladly shared his disappointment with the country’s political elites. For him, the choice isn’t quite so simple.

“Europe and the United States won’t save us — and neither will any government, old or new. For people like myself, nothing will change. [The politicians] will keep getting richer, and I’ll have to spend night after night driving around to put food on the table that’s never enough.”

Disenchantment with the political establishment is nothing new, of course. Whether it’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili who rose to power during the 2003 Rose Revolution, or billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and his ruling Georgian Dream party that followed, leaders often come in as heroes and leave (or stay) as villains. 

“No one should stay in power for longer than a year if they don’t deliver something in that period,” Giorgi said. And while Saakashvili and Ivanishvili may be archenemies, they have one thing in common: for many, they held power for far too long. Saakashvili was at the helm for nine years; Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream has been in post for 12 now.

Emerging as a pro-Western leader in a post-Soviet country, Saakashvili got off to a good start. Internationally, he was the West’s darling, and at home he was big on infrastructure — a sparkling new fountain would pop up in town, and he’d attend the opening with a gaggle of press, cameras rolling as he cut the ribbon.

But by the end of his tenure, the story didn’t sell so well. Every outlet would report the same story, show the same footage, sometimes even in the same order. His grip on the media was too obvious — the authoritarian behind the democratic façade starting to show.

Shocking footage of human rights abusesby prison guards, dropped in the days before the 2012 parliamentary election, sealed Saakashvili’s fate and tolled the bell for his United National Movement (UNM). Its a shadow the party hasn’t been able to shake.

With Georgia now on the hunt for its new hero, Ivanishvili knew the moment was ripe.His brand? A mysterious benefactor, who could have lived the rest of his life carefree — but out of duty and passion for the country, chose to take up the burden of Georgia’s leadership instead.

Having spent generously on Georgian infrastructure and cultural projects, Ivanishvili — much like the early days of Saakashvili— styled himself as having a genuine ambition to transform the country.

Little did he know that a decade later, critics would want to oust him for the same authoritarian tendencies.

No to war

Today, on the evening of the election, large — and somewhat brutal — election banners loom over Tbilisi’s streets.

“No to war, choose freedom,” one of them reads, contrasting the enlarged image of a war-torn church in Ukraine with one of Tbilisi’s landmark Holy Trinity Cathedral. Such banners are everywhere, all depicting scenes of devastation.

Many Ukrainians sought refuge in Georgia after Russia’s full-scale invasion, and I can’t help but wonder how they must feel seeing these images in the streets. But the ruling party designed this campaign for Georgians, who also had a taste of Russian aggression under Saakashvili’s rule. 

And the message is clear: The opposition are warmongers wishing to “drag Georgia into the war,” so if you want peace, vote for Georgian Dream.

The party also came up with a collective term for everyone challenging them — the radical opposition. Anyone who falls into this category can become a target; many civil activists, journalists and opposition figures have and face varying degrees of intimidation.

“I’m always looking over my shoulder,” a fellow journalist told me.

And while EU officials have warned that such an authoritarian pivot will cost Georgia its EU membership, I wonder if Georgian Dream supporters believe that. Does such a warning even make a difference? And what holds more weight: the dream of a European future or the familiar fear of war?

Plagued by these questions, I headed to Wednesday’s Georgian Dream rally.

Tens of thousands were gathered in Tbilisi’s central Liberty Square for the pro-government event, with loudspeakers blasting, drums banging and energetic young men carrying a large blue flag depicting a hybrid between the Georgian Dream and EU logos. The party’s MPs and candidates marched toward the square amid chants of “Glory to Georgian Dream.”

Many had come to the rally because they support the party, but many others were instructed — or even threatened — to attend, transported to Tbilisi from regions in tightly packed minibuses. Anyone with a friend or family member employed in a state-funded sector can attest that when the ruling party wants to gather masses, ultimatums are made. And refusing to comply could cost them their jobs.

 “I want to thank the person who, in 2012, restored our dignity and delivered us from the bloody regime,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, to the crowd’s rapturous applause.

Among them was Nika, a war veteran from Bershueti village, near the de facto border of occupied South Ossetia. He was wounded during the five-day war in 2008, when Russia invaded Georgia.

“We know the value of peace — peace is everything to me. Georgian Dream promises peace,” he said, eager to emphasize he wasn’t a state servant forced to attend the rally but a genuine supporter.

His wife Lia also stressed that, as a mother of four, peace is what she values most: “Because I know what war is. It happened because of poor politics,” she said. “One shouldn’t poke the bear at the expense of others’ children’s lives.”

The European choice

While they see the ruling party as peacekeepers, 48-year-old Nino said she likes the Georgian Dream because of their anti-LGBTQ+ policies. “The EU is forcing us to accept LGBT. I don’t want to see a man with another man,” she said.

However, like many others, she also harbors personal anger toward the previous government, as three of her family members were imprisoned, forcing her, as a single mother, to migrate to the U.S. And the main reason she supports Georgian Dream is that she feels safer and freer in modern Georgia.

“They won’t arrest you today unless you do something extreme. During Misha’s time, I prayed my [family] would come out alive,” she said, recalling Saakashvili’s “zero tolerance” crime policies.

Those on the other side of the political spectrum, however, see a very different picture.

A few days prior to Georgian Dream’s rally, thousands filled the same street to express their unwavering support for the “European choice.” What’s at stake for them is a future in the EU and democracy itself.

“Today I see free Georgia standing in front of me. Nobody has been forced to come here, nobody has come because they were told they’d lose their jobs if they didn’t show up,” said President Salome Zourabichvili, who had joined the rally.

So, maybe the delusion is thinking that there’s a stark difference in what the opposing sides want.

All anyone in Georgia wants is peace, prosperity and a European future. Only, for one side, the guarantee of peace is EU membership, which they believe Georgian Dream will deprive them of, while the other is afraid peace will end if the ruling party loses control.

All of them will head to polling stations on Saturday, confident they’ll win. And with sharing power off the table, today feels like the calm before the storm.