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The flag of David IV the Builder (1073 – January 24,
1125). "Artistic reconstruction" based on information in David Kldiashvili's
book: History of Georgian heraldry („ქართული ჰერალდიკის ისტორია“), Tbilisi 2003.
Apparently there is a legend according to which David's arms included a unicorn,
and that he used a black flag. This is here combined with the George's Cross.
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The
Georgian March against migrants and NATO
May 2, 2018
The political ambitions of
Georgian ultranationalists are growing
The Georgian ultranationalist group Georgian March
was established about two years ago and has made itself widely known due to its
loud demonstrations and a series of incidents.
Now, the ‘march’ is getting ready for a ‘decisive
battle’ – members of the organisation have announced that they are starting a
mass hunger strike, demanding the release six of their comrades who were
arrested for attacking Rustavi-2 TV journalists on 19 March.
Members of the group were displeased with a joke
made by a TV anchor about Jesus Christ. The group compares their hunger strike
to that of Irish activists in 1981 which ended in 10 of the strikers’ deaths.
The group wants everyone to know that they will hold out until the end.
“Through our self-sacrifice we will show
the authorities, the opposition and the entire world that we are undefeatable.
We have faith, a firm moral ground and the support of the society, which means
that our victory is inevitable,” said Sandro Bregadze, the leader of Georgian
March.
Bregadze is a former government official who
previously worked as the deputy minister for diaspora issues under the current
government. Even back then many human rights activists accused him of
xenophobia and homophobia.
Having
left the service of the state, Bregadze first unsuccessfully tried to run for
the municipal council of Tbilisi, after which he took up the mantle of Georgian
March. He now intends to put forward his candidacy for the presidential
elections in Georgia which will take place in autumn this year.
Bregadze
says that Georgian March has been brought together via common goals: the
creation of a national government and the defence of national culture and
traditions. He asserts that Georgian March is a centre-right leaning
organisation, analogous to that of Marine le Pen’s National Front in France or
the ‘Alternative for Germany’.
“Our motto is not ‘Georgia for Georgians’, but ‘Georgian Georgia’.
People of all nationalities that live in Georgia must enjoy the same rights and
be equally protected. But Georgia must be Georgian
– this means that our traditional values and morals must be the main priority,
and the war against them must end,”
Bregadze said.
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Sandro Bregadze speaks at the first
Georgian March demonstration on 14 July 2017. Photo: Levan Mikadze, JAMnews
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What
does ‘the defence of traditional values’ mean?
Members
of Georgian March say that the defence of values means defending ‘historically
established traditions’, which are threatened by ‘the propaganda of
homosexualism and a perverted lifestyle’.
The
organisation’s members claim that the amendment made to the constitution of
Georgia last year, which defines marriage as between a woman and a man, was a
result of their fight.
However,
they say that this is not enough and that effective steps must be taken against
the ‘decomposition of the nation’, which entails expelling foreign NGOs and
strengthening the migration legislation.
“There is a very ferocious war being waged on Georgian culture, and the front is manned by foreign NGOs, most of which are [supported by] George Soros [Open Society Foundations]. We are not proposing anything new. Look at Hungary and Viktor Orban, who is doing the same thing that we are demanding,” Sandro Bregadze explains.
He
calls Georgia’s NGO sector an ‘openly acting foreign agent’.
As
for measures against migration, the organisation insists that substantial
limitations be placed on immigrants from Asia and Africa. Bregadze’s plan calls
for visas to be given to citizens of these countries for a maximum of one
month, and that the procedure for receiving residency status in the country and
citizenship be made more difficult.
Georgian
March members believe that these measures will lower the risk of a terrorist
attack and that the ‘propaganda of perversion’ and drug trafficking – allegedly
brought in by foreign migrants – would also subside.
“Foreigners have descended upon Georgia like locusts. The
time has come for the government to take measures,” Bregadze says. As a part of
the presidential platform, he promises to introduce a strict migration policy
which would be like that offered by France’s right-wing politician Marine le
Pen.
Why
have ultranationalists appeared in Georgia?
There
are several explanations as to why groups such as Georgian March and other
ultranationalist groups have appeared in Georgia. A specialist on international
relations gave us some insight.
Mississippi
University graduate Giorgi Khatiashvili says that this is a world-wide trend
that is attracting many people in Georgia who are dissatisfied with the current
economic conditions in the country.
However,
Khatiashvili notes that Russia’s influence cannot be excluded, and that it is
very supportive of such ultranationalist groups in other countries with the aim
of growing its own influence.
“It is in Russia’s interest to see a growth in
anti-liberal, anti-western and ethno-nationalist forces. This is what the
latest report from the State Security Service of Georgia says,” notes Khatiashvili.
Another
reason for the growth in popularity of such ultranationalist movements is, in
Khatiashvili’s opinion, the rise of social media and the subsequent ease in the
access to and spread of information, which can easily influence adolescents.
Khatiashvili
also commented on relations between Georgian March and the Georgian
authorities.
“One of the founders of this organisation used to work as a
deputy minister. For that reason it is fair to assume that some authorities
share some of the principles of Georgian March, but some don’t even share their
[Georgian dream’s] sympathy for them [foreigners] at all.”
For
example, the head of the parliamentary committee for legal issues, Eka Beselia,
has stated that she ‘does not doubt the patriotism’ of one of the leaders of
Georgian March – Gia Korkotashvili – who was at the time being investigated for
making coercive threats.
The
statement made by the chairman of the parliament Irakli Kobakhdize, which came
in the wake of the incident involving the attack on the Rustavi-2 journalists,
was practically the only critical statement made by the authorities at the
time.
“Violence is not justifiable by anything – one must react
accordingly to it. Violence must be stopped,” Kobakhidze said.
Members
of the ruling Georgian Dream party usually tend to avoid making critical
assessments on the demonstrations of the Georgian March.
Georgi
Khatiashvili says that one can note sympathy and positive attitudes towards the
nationalists from politicians of the ruling party, ‘which harms both the ruling
party and the country on the level of discourse’.
Khatiashvili
says that if the ruling party weakens, reactionary forces such as Georgian
March may turn into a serious problem, and for that reason the authorities must
‘be careful in conducting a logical policy’.
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Several thousand people marched
along Agmashenebeli Avenue in the centre of Tbilisi on 14 July in protest
against what they said was the “uncontrolled migration” of citizens of Turkey
and Near East countries to Georgia.
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Russia and
financing
Georgian
March representatives support a ‘careful policy’ regarding Russia and a slight
distancing from the west – that is, rejecting the country’s entrance into NATO
and any other military alliances and declaring the country neutral.
“Russia occupies 20 percent of our territory. This however doesn’t mean that the Russian people are our enemies. Georgia has no enemies in the form of a nation. In parallel with the policy of deoccupation, we must conduct negotiations with Russia and convince it that the restoration of territorial integrity will not be a threat to anybody. But to restore relations we need to make sure that our country is not controlled by the agents of the West, and that the priority of the state is to serve Georgia,” Bregadze says.
Gia
Korkotashvili, another leader of the Georgian March organisation, believes that
Georgia must develop ‘national diplomacy’ with Russia and believes it is
illogical for the organisation to be called pro-Russian.
Where
does Georgian March receive its financing from?
This
question has been an additional argument for those that insist that Russia has
its hand in the activities of the ultranationalist organisation.
Representatives of the March say this is ‘idiocy’ and insist that the March
survives on the funds of its members and the small donations of sympathetic
businessmen, says the leader of the organisation’s youth wing, Anzor
Porchkhidze.
“We have just a small three-room apartment that we use as an office and a few computers. We have nothing more. My source of income is sports. I was a European champion in mixed martial arts, and I now train children. Other members of the organisation live similarly. For example, one of my friends sells his handicrafts, others are just unemployed,” says Anzor.
Leaders
and activists of the March believe that the organisation has big political
potential and believe it could become one of the three biggest political
parties in the country. However, Georgian March hasn’t been mentioned in any of
the public surveys that have been carried out over the past year – neither as a
political party nor an organisation.
Published on Jul 14, 2017Thousands attended the 'March of Georgians' in Tbilisi, on Friday evening, which was called to protest against illegal immigrants in the country.Many protesters waved the Georgian flag, while some held up signs including "Stop Migration, Go Home", and "Identity Solidarity of USA, Poland, Hungary". Christian religious imagery was also on display at the march.One of the protest organisers, Former Georgian MP Sandro Bregadze, called for deportation of illegal immigrants from Georgia, saying, "We ask that citizens of other countries who are illegally in the territory of Georgia to be deported and that to close these 'nests of debauchery'."Georgian journalist Zaza Davitaia was also among the organisors of the march that sought to denounce alleged "illegal actions" of immigrants living in the country.
Georgia: Thousands of nationalists join
'March of Georgians' in Tbilisi
Published
on May 14, 2018
Hundreds
of nationalists joined the 'March of Georgians' in Tbilisi on Monday, to
demonstrate against what they called "drug propagandists" and members
of the LGBT community. The protest comes after thousands of people rallied in
Tbilisi over the weekend, condemning the level of force used during the special
anti-drug operation carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs at two
popular nightclubs.
Leader
of the Erovnulebi ('The Nationals') movement Sandro Bregadze who led the march
said that "all the Georgian community demonstrates against those actions
taken by treasonous forces two days ago in Tbilisi, when homosexuals and drug
lords took to the streets of Tbilisi to demonstrate against the Georgian
community. Today the Georgian community stands against this."
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNpGtr3HWkI
The Georgian
March: defending 'traditional values' or danger to liberalism?
Published on May 1, 2018
“Our motto is not ‘Georgia for Georgians’, but ‘Georgian Georgia’. People of all nationalities that live in Georgia must enjoy the same rights and be equally protected. But Georgia must be Georgian – this means that our traditional values and morals must be the main priority, and the war against them must end,” said Sandro Bregadze, the leader of Georgian March.
“Our motto is not ‘Georgia for Georgians’, but ‘Georgian Georgia’. People of all nationalities that live in Georgia must enjoy the same rights and be equally protected. But Georgia must be Georgian – this means that our traditional values and morals must be the main priority, and the war against them must end,” said Sandro Bregadze, the leader of Georgian March.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtswHP1KIfU&t=43s
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