“We must understand that hate speech, contempt and the sowing of discord, which we see particularly on social media, given its broad reach into people’s minds, is not merely a matter of aesthetics. It is a matter of our country’s security,” stated the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, speaking to journalists.

Papuashvili stated that the incitement and sowing of hatred and contempt is one of the principal weapons that remains in the hands of those who wish our country ill.

“It is precisely this instrument, the introduction of animosity and hatred, that is being used to destabilise the country, to subsequently set people against one another, throw the country into turmoil, and achieve their desired outcomes amid that turmoil. For this reason, hate speech and the language of contempt are not merely a matter of aesthetics or of emotion; it is a matter of state security, since this method is being lifted straight from the playbooks of foreign intelligence services and employed to exert influence over our country’s domestic politics, to sow confusion in society, and to set people against one another. It is therefore important that the state take proactive ownership of countering the use of such instruments against our country,” declared Shalva Papuashvili.

Papuashvili further states that hate speech in Georgia is being incited from Brussels, and that every sphere of society must return to Georgian values.

“We must be able to return every sphere of our society’s life to Georgian values. Regrettably, we can see where Brussels’ values are leading us, for it is from there that the language of hatred is being incited. We can see that several ambassadors in Georgia are involved in this; we see Members of the European Parliament who are engaged in hate speech and use fascist language directed at the Georgian people. If you pay close attention, particularly to social media, everyone who sows contempt on social media could, for example, have been seen at the Europe Day celebrations on May 9. These are the same faces, the same names; those whom Brussels embraces today are the very ones attempting to sow contempt throughout society. We must therefore return every sphere of society to Georgian values, since it is clear that Brussels values are harmful to our country. Let us therefore return to our own, remain within our own cultural framework, and give an appropriate response to the hatred, discord and animosity that is being imposed upon us by others,” declared Shalva Papuashvili.

It became known today that a special division is to be established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose function will be the systematic monitoring of hate speech, offensive campaigns and aggressive communication in the public sphere, along with the corresponding response.