The trends observed in June were as follows:

• Xenophobic narratives equated foreigners with a demographic threat and considered non-Georgian ethnic identity in a negative context.

• Turkophobic narratives presented Turkey as a threat to Georgian identity and territorial integrity, while suggesting Russia as its counterweight. An opinion was promoted that it is easier to end the Russian occupation than to regain the Turkey-annexed Tao-Klarjeti region.

• In one case of Armehophobia, an Armenian identity was presented in a negative light.

• Discriminatory narratives on religious grounds were related to the Catholic Church criticizing it for supporting the LGBT community.

• The ruling party, Georgian Dream, was the main source of homophobic messages, emphasizing the need to pass a law banning LGBT propaganda and offering as evidence of LGBT propaganda the increasing trend in the number of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The Alt-Info/Conservative Movement presented the anti-LGBT bill as its victory and LGBT Pride as an unacceptable event that, among other things, must be forcibly prevented. Homophobic statements were also made against the Tbilisi Open Air music festival, which, according to POSTV’s claims, was engaged in LGBT propaganda. The protesters against the so-called law on agents were again presented as LGBTQIA+ people. 

• Some of the anti-Western statements were directed against the Venice Commission’s conclusion, calling on the Georgian Parliament to stop working on an anti-LGBT draft law. The Georgian Dream accused this advisory body of the Council of Europe of imposing homosexuality. The West was again portrayed as a force that fights against traditional identity, family, and religion, and is run by LGBTQIA+ individuals and pedophiles. The Alt-Info/Conservative Movement was pushing the idea that the Russian tyranny was more acceptable and moral than the West.

Xenophobic narratives associated foreigners with a demographic threat and accused people of non-Georgian ethnic identity of acting in favor of their nationality and against Georgia’s interests.

Irakli Martinenko, Conservative Movement: “I want the Georgian population to reproduce, i.e., to multiply… not others, for example, some Pakistanis coming here, but, on the contrary, Georgia must demographically increase.”

Baia Amashukeli, political commentator: “These people with changed surnames are now mostly in the arena. There is nothing wrong when a person wants to be Georgian and to have a Georgian surname, but the fact that instead of serving the Georgian cause, they continue to serve the cause of the nation they changed their surnames from is the result we are facing, and this is on a massive scale in this country… Why would writing “Georgian” in the nationality column do any harm? If in America it says Caucasian in the nationality column, we have removed that, and we are now neither Caucasians nor Georgians but only “therefores” while others are.”

In Turkophobic statements, Russia was offered as a counterweight to the neighboring country, and the Russian occupation was presented as something much less significant compared to Turkey’s so-called expansion. The old narrative equating Russia and Turkey as occupiers persisted.

Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, Alliance of Patriots: “The step taken by Erekle II to form an alliance with Russia… was both positive and tantamount to survival; why? Immediately afterwards, Georgia was divided into two parts. Seventy percent of our territories ended up as part of the Russian Empire… and 30% of our territories ended up as part of Turkey and remain in Turkey to this day… More than 200 years have passed since then, and look at the result: 70% that ended up in the Russian Empire are us, we have preserved the language, Georgian identity, mentality, and Georgian values. In that 30% that ended up in Turkey…. more than half of people do not speak Georgian. 100% of them have completely lost Georgian values. 100% have changed their faith, 100% have changed their values… They have a Turkish mentality. So, which one was better? It turned out that it was better in Russia, that’s why we survived."

Merab Shatirishvili, writer: “Unlike Turkey, which seized and annexed Tao-Klarjeti, Russia does not yet consider Abkhazia and Samachablo its territories. The primary proof of this is that the Kremlin is not making large investments in Abkhazia and Samachablo, and is not developing infrastructure either… In contrast, Russia has already started in Ukraine to rebuild and annex destroyed cities and villages.”

Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Sezoni TV presenter: “The other day, Shota Arveladze said that he would never go to Russia to work for the Russian national team because Russia is the occupier, but at the same time, he played in Turkey all his life and was a coach in Turkey. Well, if he does not want to work in Russia, he should not go to Turkey either because Turkey annexed Georgia’s territories, and the occupation and annexation are as different as night and day … The occupation can be ended, but as for improving the situation with annexation, I do not know under what circumstances it is possible to return Tao-Klarjeti.”

One Armenophobic statement portrayed ethnic Armenians as having a hostile attitude towards Georgians.

Givi Sikharulidze, actor: “…Why do we deceive ourselves by claiming that we are three million people? More than half are Armenians who changed their nationality to Georgian, and an Armenian who changed his nationality to Georgian hates Georgia more than a real Armenian who did not give up his name and surname and proudly bears his Armenian name…”

Discriminatory narratives based on religion contained messages directed against the Catholic Church because of its approval of same-sex marriage.

Soso Shatberashvili, Leftist Alliance: “.. The Catholic Church has blessed same-sex relationships, and from this there is a step to legalizing same-sex marriage. Is that not a disaster? Is this not the end of the Catholic Church?”

Under the pretext of protecting children and national identity, the ruling party emphasized the need to ban PGBT propaganda and cited the growing number of LGBTQIA+ people as evidence of the existence of propaganda. The Alt-Info/Conservative Movement presented the anti-LGBT bill as its a victory, portrayed LGBTQIA+ individuals as people unable to fight, and condemned LGBT pride as an event that is unacceptable and, among other things, must be forcibly prevented. Homophobic remarks were also made against the Tbilisi Open Air music festival, which, according to POSTV’s claims, was engaged in LGBT propaganda. Demonstrators against the so-called law on agents were again portrayed as LGBTQIA+ individuals.   

Gia Volski, Georgian Dream: “For us, the topic of prohibiting LGBT propaganda is primarily related to preserving the authenticity that Georgians have and that has allowed Georgia to reach our days despite historical turbulences.”

Tengiz Sharmanashvili, Georgian Dream: “We will not discriminate against, but we will not allow propaganda of this… We will not allow anything that goes beyond what is reasonable. In 1995, when the constitution was being drafted, the term ‘spouses’ was written in it. At that time, it would not come to anyone’s mind that spouses could be anyone other than a woman and a man… As time passed, we came to face the danger of being told that they could also be same-sex individuals… Now, in this law, you will see that we have written genetically man and genetically woman because just writing man and woman is not enough anymore.”

Giorgi Akhvlediani, POSTV presenter: “We will definitely bring the law banning propaganda of perversion to an end, and for our children and grandchildren, at least in Georgia, James Bond, Superman, and Bashi-Achuki will again remain brutal men in love with pretty women, as it was 20-30 years ago.”

Levan Machavariani, Georgian Dream: “That narrative that propaganda cannot change a person’s behavior and the like is not true… The number of people who consider themselves LGBT has doubled… Had the propaganda not worked, companies would not have spent billions of dollars on advertising every year.”

Irakli Martinenko, Conservative Movement: “Where does the reality that a woman is happy to raise her child as gay come from? Is it coincidental?... Does propaganda not have anything to do with it?”

Zura Makharadze, Alt-Info presenter: “Guess what our methods have led to? This year, the Georgian Dream intends to win the election by mounting an attack on pederasts. No, not just by attacking, but by beating up pederasts, is what the Georgian Dream is going to win the election."

Shota Martinenko, Conservative Movement: “Guess what our methods have led to? They can no longer hold [pride events] either in the center [of the city] or on the outskirts. Their support has become a swear word… As a result, gay propaganda and gay pride are being outlawed; that’s what the government intends to do, and gay pride will not be held in this country. The last time, on July 8 last year, we said that it was held on the outskirts and we prevented it, and it was such a big step that they will no longer be able to hold it.”

Zura Makharadze, Alt-Info presenter: “Initially they wanted to hold a gay orgy on Rustaveli Avenue, in the yard of Kashveti [Church], didn’t they? But they were beaten up, and then some men pretending to be brave criticized us for such behavior. Then they decided to hold it in a remote place, in a fenced area, somewhere on a hill. But last year we got to them on that hill too, and the event was no longer held. This year they took refuge online, and folks, now we’re going to break up the gay pride in the online space… We have to conduct a virtual crackdown.”

Temur Pipia, Solidarity for Peace: “We can fortunately say that Georgia has already passed that moment and that line when such [LGBT] festivals will no longer be held in Georgia.”

Giorgi Akhvlediani, POSTV presenter: “By the way, you may have noticed that there is almost no distinction between Tbilisi Pride and the Tbilisi Open Air music festival. It is a music festival only officially, but in reality, it is Tbilisi Pride’s LGBT propaganda, which is spread in broad daylight and reached everyone, including children. Where are our pseudo-liberal opposition politicians who claim that they cannot see the propaganda of perversion?”

Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Sezoni TV presenter: “Those rallies that are taking place, look at the kind of people who are organizing them - pederasts, Baia Babutsa Pataraias, that is, these perverts are the main driving force, and those lured young people who go there to have fun, many of them are deluded. These people are gathered from casinos, bars, the Basiani club has been staying idle… So the entire Basiani and Gallery clientele has moved to the parliament.” 

Shota Martinenko, Conservative Movement: “When you look like a pederast and Gen Z is running down the street with pederasts, liberasts, transgender people, and some unidentified genders… You do not leave the impression that if Russia decides to bring in heavy troops, they cannot defeat you with kicks; you do not leave that impression.”

Giorgi Akhvlediani, POSTV presenter: “How happy we were 20 or 30 years ago, when, coming to the premier in the movie theater, we watched only a healthy love story between a healthy woman and a healthy man…. In that happy epoch of common-sense filmmaking, it would not have occurred to anyone to insert and cram representatives of sexual minorities into every movie, without any need. No, there were gay characters too, but mostly for comic scenes – unserious, frivolous boys with mannered movements and soft, feminine conversation were needed mostly to add a touch of irony to the movie.”

Some of the anti-Western statements were directed against the Venice Commission’s conclusion, which called on the Georgian Parliament to stop working on an anti-LGBT draft law. The Georgian Dream accused this advisory body of the Council of Europe of imposing homosexuality. As in previous months, the West was again presented as a force that fights against traditional identity, family, and religion, and is run by LGBTQIA+ individuals and pedophiles, who have no moral right to teach Georgia. The Conservative Movement has been pushing the idea that the Russian tyranny is more acceptable and moral than the West.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgian Dream: “Recently, the Venice Commission has been giving Georgia unacceptable recommendations. When it comes to banning LGBT propaganda, the Venice Commission directly tells us that it not only disapproves of the changes we are planning but also proposes to remove everything that is there, i.e., legalize same-sex marriage. The opposition is afraid of its patrons outside and the Georgian people inside; this is their attitude and mood on the issue of banning LGBT propaganda, protecting family values ​​and the rights of minors.”

Irakli Zarkua, Georgian Dream: “Let me address the experts of the Venice Commission: this is Georgia, an ancient Orthodox state, with its traditions, its hospitality, recognition and respect for a man and a woman. When they write in it [the conclusion of the Venice Commission] that we should act in a way that, at least, we should not prevent same-sex marriages, it is unacceptable for us…. It is offensive to our nation, our country, and it will not work, boys and girls.”

Giorgi Akhvlediani, POSTV presenter: “… The traditional society is experiencing the forced imposition of LGBT propaganda not from our local mixed-gender individuals but primarily from foreign partners, international organizations, human rights defenders of unidentified origin, donor organizations, and diplomats accredited in Georgia, who openly and already in a threating tone demand from us that we change everything.”

Besarion Mikava, Iberian-Caucasian Movement: “For a long time, we have been fooled by propaganda as if the United States of America and the European Union are strategic partners of Georgia, but for the past 30 years, they have been carrying out strategic attacks against national values and Orthodox faith! Had the US truly been a strategic ally and partner of Georgia, it would have been able to ensure the prosperity of a nation of three million people, but instead, they started destroying our core values of life.” 

Hamlet Chipashvili, political scientist: “European countries are actually occupied by people who migrated there from Afghanistan, from North Africa, the Middle East, etc. All of Europe is actually under Muslim influence. In 10 years, the number of Christian and Muslim populations will equalize… There are seven million Turks living in Germany. This is not a small number. Moreover, these people, especially from North African countries, these refugees, are making their way into European countries on a daily basis.”

Anton Bulukhia, Metropolitan of Baghdati and Vani Diocese: “I was one of those who was on the front lines when we were going to Europe; I have visited all the agencies in Brussels as well as in the United States of America, and I was always asking them: If you are really what you are, why do you not sympathize with the church? …. I had a parcel of land that I leased to one diligent man, and when it came to allocating funds to him and they found out that the parcel of land belonged to the church, they did not give him funds. I asked them, ‘Why did you do that? How can I now tell my parish that Europe is good when you fight everything that has to do with the church?’ To be honest, I could not understand this attitude either back then or later, and gradually I realized that in words they are one thing, but in deeds they are another.”

Gia Korotashvili, presenter of Obiektivi TV channel: “What Europe is proposing – this Vroth [Michael Roth], who arrived from Germany, let him, this man who has a husband, take care of himself first and then do whatever he wants. How can he teach me? … It is insulting… I cannot accept that some LGBT individual, same-sex married man is teaching me here.”

Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, presenter: “One day I visited the Lawyers’ Association… I entered and was surprised to find Babutsa Pataraia who was delivering lectures. Can you imagine? Then I asked how did this happen, and who authorized this woman to enter there? I was told that it was done under the auspices of the European Union. This is who the EU gives money to, it’s Baia Pataraias, these sonder-feminists, and it’s because of them that 80% of the prisoners are convicted of domestic violence, which is the result of the work of those sonder-feminists.”

Data Gvasalia, POSTV journalist: “The Biden-Harris administration can be called the most gay-friendly administration in the history of the United States… The current US administration is the record holder in terms of the appointment of LGBT individuals to public office… As of April 2, 2023, there are 1,175 elected officials who are openly LGBT. … This automatically means that the Democrats are supporting, at both state and federal levels, the adoption of rainbow-color laws as much as possible, and it’s getting to the point of absurdity.”

Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, presenter: “This [Joe] Biden is a pedophile, while his son is involved in some illegal trade. We also know full well who this Macron is; he is also a pedophile. It means that the entire world is run by a cast of pedophiles. Macron is chasing men, arriving in African countries, French colonies, and I don’t know… That’s why the LGBT propaganda is going on; pedophiles run the world… Look who the leaders are; they are pederasts.”

Shota Martinenko, Conservative Movement: “The picture of this democracy is there, where a negro can shoot a man in the head, kill the entire family, steal, rape,  also where rats roam in the subway, climb these democratic walls, migrants are in abundance, nobody knows how long it will be good or how long it will be bad, but there is democracy, whereas on the other side there is tyranny, Putin is a tyrant, where the subway is a good subway, it is quiet, nobody kills anybody, you feel calm, go to work, you walk on clean streets, you feel protected… I do not give a damn if a tyrant rules, as long as it does not affect me much… I do not give a damn about the election, and I choose this one. If one poses the question in this way, is it a morally very unacceptable stance?... Is it not a healthier one?”