MP Giorgi Gabunia: Externally funded, organised campaign aims to stoke ethnic discord and demonise everything Russian

“A deliberate campaign urging people to ‘spit in the food’ if the customer is a Russian tourist damages the country’s image. When such statements are made, neither a Frenchman, a Kazakh, nor a representative of any other nation will want to visit,” stated MP Giorgi Gabunia, Chairman of the Parliamentary Culture Committee.

According to him, the Russophobic policy aims not merely to bully and insult individual tourists, but to stoke widespread ethnic hostility.

“We have heard voices from various sectors of the cultural sphere stating they will not perform concerts in Russia; that is understandable and represents their own view. However, it is quite another matter when calls are made directed at society and at artists who hold a different stance and believe cultural ties with Russia are necessary. In this instance, we must separate the issue of occupation from the problem we face today. What we are witnessing is a well-orchestrated, externally funded campaign designed to incite ethnic hostility within Georgia and to demonise everything Russian, be it music, poetry, or other cultural expressions. This is wrong, as many of the Russian tourists coming to Georgia do not agree with Russian policy at all.

We are Georgians, a nation boasting a rich culture and a vast history, and the fomenting of ethnic hatred or national strife has never been part of who we are. A deliberate campaign advocating that one should ‘spit in the food’ if the guest is a Russian tourist actively harms the nation’s reputation. When such rhetoric is disseminated, no tourist from France, Kazakhstan, or anywhere else will wish to visit such a country. This focus on a Russophobic agenda, which is meticulously organised, seeks not only to bully and insult individual tourists, but to fuel broader national discord, heighten tensions between states, and escalate security risks for the country,” Gabunia stated.