Discrediting and Propaganda Messages

Discrediting campaign against Temur Chkonia and "McDonald's" in a homophobic context

On June 12, pro-government media outlets and anonymous Facebook pages reported that a book about Elton John's personal relationship appeared as a gift in McDonald's "Happy Meal" family menu. The media delivered the mentioned information to the audience in a homophobic context and started a campaign of the same content against the businessman Temur Chkonia and his daughter. They accused "McDonald's" and “Chkonias” of spreading "LGBT propaganda" among children. Pages operating anonymously emphasized that it is precisely the intention of the sponsors of the opposition media. Photo manipulations against Temur Chkonia in a homophobic context were also spread on the same pages.

TV imedi: A children's book about the dream family of Elton John and his husband David Furnish has appeared as a gift in the Happy Meal box at McDonald's.

Political X-ray/Politikuri Rentgeni:  LGBTQ propaganda has reached even children thanks to „Chkonias”. McDonald's children's menu features a brochure about the sexual orientation of Elton John and his male partner and their love relationship. Here is the person promoting this propaganda, with toxic goals - Temur Chkonia, a sponsor of the UNM media, who is trying to poison the brains of our children. His daughter - Sofo Chkonia is also an LGBTQ propagandist who actively appears on the UNM TV channels.

We will not let you mess it up/Ar agarevinebt: Elton Chkonia is in the service of liberals

The "Happy Meal" gift book was mentioned as LGBT propaganda by the members of the government as well. According to Mamuka Mdinaradze's statement, this is "infiltrating the community from a young age", which is harmful, not the protection of the rights of minorities, but propaganda. Members of the "People's Power" movement, formally separated from  "Georgian Dream", presented Chkonia and "McDonald's" as opposed to their values.

POSTV: Tamta Megrelishvili, member of “People's Power": "Temur Chkonia is a businessman who accepted and openly supported the propaganda of depravity proposed by the liberals in Georgia!"

Extreme liberalism is a weapon against all the values ​​that civilized society has recognized, accepted and assimilated.

Extreme liberalism is a weapon directed in the name of our freedom, which opposes all existing values!

And yet, the primary target in this battle is the new generation, still with a pure psyche.

He lied to the Georgian people and took back his apology!

The propaganda of immorality offered by "McDonald's" to children  caused great dissatisfaction in the society.

Due to the difficult situation, "McDonald's" posted a "marketing-driven" apology, which was soon retracted and the text of the apology was deleted (Probably their own bosses from the head office warned Chkonia).

And yet, Temur Chkonia, safeguarding the interests of the head office, went against the Georgian people and lost himself in the posts to save his own business.

It won't work, no, we all see everything and we all know everything.”

 

Posts discrediting Zurab Japaridze and the "Institute of Individual Freedom" camp.

On June 17, violent groups attacked the camp of the "Institute of Individual Freedom" in Borjomi. Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the "Girchi - More Freedom" party, who was on his way to the camp in Borjomi, was also attacked in Gori. Anonymous anti-opposition pages on Facebook published posts justifying and encouraging the attack. On the anonymous pages, Zurab Japaridze himself was named as the cause of the mentioned events, and the violent riot was presented as a response of the people of Borjomi to the "perversion of the Georgian youth and swearing at the patriarch".

 

 

Political Satire/Politikuri Satira:  Zurab Girch Japaridze received an answer from the people of Borjomi, he received an answer for the debauchery of Georgian youth and swearing at the patriarch

Terenti Gldaneli: Like, if you agree

Pearls of journalists/Jurnalistebis Margalitebi:  He should take off his hat, take off his glasses and let us see himself. We need to know if he is well bruised or not.

 

Pro-government actors, including experts and members of the "People's Power", had similar messages to anonymous pages. On the one hand, they condemned the violence, but on the other hand, they stated that "liberal fascists" are unacceptable in the society, and the violent action was the response of the agitated population. The "Georgia First" movement claimed that the purpose of the said training was to prepare under-aged people for the revolution, to poison and incite them against the country.

POSTV-news: Zurab Kadagidze, a member of the public movement "People's Power": 

„Long live all the Georgians who answer to pseudo-politicians like Girch Zouraba!

Zuraba Girchi was going as a trainer yesterday, and a citizen in Gori gave an appropriate answer and hit his nose... and yes, Girchi was left with a snotty nose, and the training lacked one scumbag trainer.

What these liberal fascists don't realize is that there is more hatred and disapproval of them in society than they think.

Keep up the pestilence and fascism and you'll see what response you get from the populace“.

 

POSTV-news: Violence needs to be condemned, but these so called politicians received a well-deserved reaction from the public. When you curse people's families, values, beliefs, you won't get a „bitte shon“, „danke shon“ answer from people either in Georgia or Germany. Members of the UNM sect, shut up and behave as befits our country. Pseudoliberal fascism will never grow here. – Gia Abashidze, analyst.

 

Making fun of  Levan Khabeishvili regarding published photos from public transport and his visit to the disaster zone in Gurjaani

Chairman of the "United National Movement", Levan Khabeishvili, recently published his own photos on social networks, which were taken in public transport. After that, posts mocking Khabeishvili were spread on anonymous pages operating against the opposition. Khabeishvili was criticized by the mentioned pages even after he said that he was taking personal control over the situation in Gurjaani and went to the disaster zone.

 

Terenti Gldaneli: He has cool PRs

 

We will not let you mess it up/Ar agarevinebt: Levan Khabeishvili, the lord of disasters

 

Terenti Gldaneli: Fighter against the disaster.

 

Messages against the US Embassy and civil organizations

On anonymous pages operating against the opposition, videos aimed at so-called Gen Z generation were spread. The purpose was to convince them that the US Embassy manages youth through community organizations and engages them in the political process in various ways. In the videos, it was mentioned that the USA invents different topics for the young generation, which should then be followed by protests. It is also emphasized that the US ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, coordinates public organizations and instructs them to spread the desired messages on social networks and televisions. In the videos, it was said that in order to reach the youth, these organizations use famous, authoritative figures for the generation, who are active in social networks and spread the desired messages.

In the given videos, it was also underlined that the March protest, which was present following the Foreign Agents of Influence draft law, was ordered from American financiers. In addition, in the videos, they pointed out that Russia is the enemy of the country, although perhaps the USA also wants to take away freedom.

Another video clip was later circulated on anonymous pages. It talked about a young man who wants to establish himself in the society and earn money, and for this he starts working in a civic organization and going to protests. The video also contained homophobic messages.

 

Terenti Gldaneli: Watch until the end – truth about liberals

 

Political Satire/Politikuri Satira: How does America manage the Georgian Gen Z generation?

 

At the same time, Davit Kartvelishvili, a member of the "People's Power" movement, started publishing letters in which he accused the opposition spectrum, individual media outlets and public organizations of being involved in the country's "revolution scheme" with the financial support of external forces. Kartvelishvili accused the US Embassy of managing these organizations, including during the March 2023 protests.

Kartvelishvili openly attacked the US embassy and stated that he is planning specific steps in the country in the future. According to Kartvelishvili, unwanted laws ("under the auspices of the stigma of Russian laws") and reforms will be blocked in the country. At the same time, Kartvelishvili accused the US of delaying the implementation of the 12-point plan, and later of planning large-scale demonstrations demanding the resignation of the government in the country.

On June 20, “People's Power” once again openly attacked Kelly Degnan, accusing her of funding "anti-national, anti-church and aggressive liberal-fascist organizations" and fueling polarization.

 

Ongo: As Davit Kartvelishvili writes on the social network, the strategic partner's attempt to overthrow the government was revealed to me more than once.

 

POSTV-analytics/POSTV-Analitika:  "People Power" to Kelly Degnan: Why don't you leave the country? Why do you finance anti-national, anti-church and aggressive liberal-fascist organizations?

 

Messages against a citizen performing a protest performance in the Parliament

On June 14, in the session hall of the Parliament, a citizen threw Russian rubles at the deputies of "Georgian Dream" as a sign of protest and spread a banner with the inscription "No to the disorientated GD-Russian government from married people". After the performance, anonymous pages and pro-government actors spread discrediting messages of this citizen. It should be noted that the pro-government expert, Levan Nikolaishvili, accused her of acting on the instructions of the "United National Movement", and the pages operating anonymously coordinated and distributed discrediting posts with similar text.

 

POSTV-news: Expert Levan Nikolaishvili regarding the incident in the Parliament: “UNM activist Kristine Talakhadze took advantage of the fact that she is the parent of a disabled child, sneaked into the parliament and organized this cruel provocation based on the instructions of the radical opposition. The photo clearly shows the child's reaction to this. They are willing to do anything, they will not respect even disabled children, the main goal for these stateless people is to comlete the task”.

 

Political Satire/Politikuri Satira: “UNM activist Kristine Talakhadze took advantage of the fact that she is the parent of a disabled child, sneaked into the parliament and organized this cruel provocation based on the instructions of the radical opposition. The photo clearly shows the child's reaction to this. They are willing to do anything, they will not respect even disabled children, the main goal for these stateless people is to comlete the task”.

 

Pearls of Journalists/Jurnalistebis Margalitebi: “UNM activist Kristine Talakhadze took advantage of the fact that she is the parent of a disabled child, sneaked into the parliament and organized this cruel provocation based on the instructions of the radical opposition. The photo clearly shows the child's reaction to this. They are willing to do anything, they will not respect even disabled children, the main goal for these stateless people is to comlete the task”.

 

 

Posts against Levan Ioseliani after his Facebook post about the TV reportage on Roin Metreveli

On June 11, the TV company "Mtavari Arkhi" aired a story in which journalist Beka Korshia contacted the newly appointed president of the Academy of Sciences, Roin Metreveli, and asked him to grant the PM the status of an academician. Due to the said story, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, criticized Korshia in his Facebook status. Because of this status, posts against and insulting Levan Ioseliani were published on anonymous pages operating against the government.

Pirveltskharo: Edit it again and you will guest where the coma goes

 

Political memez: This __ gets on our nerves. The fate of Kartli is difficult.

 

About weekly review

Within the social media monitoring ISFED presents the weekly overview and describes the messages that echo the political issues, virally circulates on social networks (more or less) during the week, and more than one actor, account or page is involved in its distribution. In certain cases, the most interactive posts of the week are presented.

The organization uses the Facebook monitoring tool- Crowdtangle - for data processing and relies on an existing, up-to-date database of pages/accounts involved in discrediting campaigns.

The pages are available on the platform - www.disinfoobserver.ge

 

The social media monitoring program of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is supported by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). This publication is solely owned by ISFED and may not reflect the views of the donor.