DISINFO: The West was behind the unrest in Georgia
SUMMARY
Considering the scale of the unrest in Georgia last year, which was controlled by Western circles, we can say that Shalva Papuashvili’s thoughts are full of truth. Indeed, if those circles had the opportunity, they would have provided tank support to the anarchy aimed at overthrowing the Georgian government. However, geographical conditions do not allow this.
RESPONSE
A disinformation piece which advances pro-Kremlin propaganda, claiming baselessly that the West controlled the unrest in Georgia. The claim falsely portrays the popular protest as controlled by the West, presenting it as a “colour revolution” groundlessly.
The piece has been published in the context of the statement by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, who recently criticised European countries for attempting to impose sanctions on Georgia.
However, there is no evidence to prove the claim of the piece. The demonstrations in Georgia were a nationwide protest against the “foreign agents law” which required all NGOs receiving over 20% of their funding from foreign donors to label themselves as “foreign agents”.
So far, no evidence has been provided to prove that Western countries are behind the protests. International organisations such as Freedom House and Amnesty International also condemned the Foreign Agent Law, saying it would strike a blow to civil society in Georgia.
During the protests in Georgia, pro-Kremlin media attempted to portray it as a “colour revolution” controlled by Western countries. They suggested that the protests were orchestrated from abroad, propagating the notion that Western powers oppose the foreign influence law in order to conceal their clandestine funding of various groups in Georgia. The topic was covered in detail in our analysis.
Pro-Kremlin outlets frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as "colour revolutions" instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.
See more cases such as DISINFO: The West is using the “colour revolution” model in China, DISINFO: The protests in Kyrgyzstan are an attempt to carry out a "colour revolution" by external forces and DISINFO: Moldova: Pro-Western candidate Maia Sandu work thanks to money of Soros