Democracy Research Institute: radical groups spread disinformation, discredit ethnic Armenians, Azerbaijanis in Georgia
Dissemination of nationalistic narrative and misinformation by far-right extremist groups in Georgia jeopardises social integration of minority-settled regions and holds the risk of fueling civil unrest, local think tank says.
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In the light of the Karabakh conflict in 2021, attempts to radicalise ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in Georgia through disinformation narratives coming from abroad were most often spread by far-right nationalist groups, the Democracy Research Institute (DRI) says.
DRI, a public policy think tank, has published results of a monitoring report concerning far-right groups between December 2020 and June 2021.
#DRI publishes results of the monitoring of far-right groups' assemblies and demonstrations
— Democracy Research Institute - DRI (@Research_DRI) June 22, 2021
The passive role of the State in multiethnic regions promotes confrontation between various groups and provokes retaliatory attacks.@SandAndresen https://t.co/L11v31K5p1
It says the state policies in multiethnic regions are ‘imperfect and deficient’, It cited one case in which ‘no due attention’ was paid to the investigation of alleged hate motives when a cross was stolen from the Gagi Fortress in Kvemo Kartli region, or when it was damaged after re-erection to prevent conflict on ethnic grounds.
No attention was paid to the investigation of alleged hate motives in these cases. The Ministry of Internal Affairs completely ignored a number of indicators of intolerance during the investigation”, DRI reports.
Moreover, based on the monitoring results, there were a number of attempts by far-right extremists ‘to fuel tensions’ with ethnic Azerbaijani populations in Dmanisi and Marneuli municipalities.
Representatives of the groups and their leaders personally visited these regions and tried to organise provocations and/or to cover events in the context of extreme narratives”, the report reads.
It says that on May 17, following the Dmanisi confrontation, the Georgian March, which arrived in the region immediately, was mainly engaged in fueling escalation. Furthermore, online media platform of the ultra-nationalist group Alt-Info was biased in its coverage.
The passive role of the state in multiethnic regions and the deliberate neglect of existing problems hinders social unity and integration, promotes confrontation between various groups and provokes retaliatory attacks”, DRI says.
It further underscores that ‘without proper response from the authorities, the spread of extreme narratives and radicalisation deepens confrontation between local communities and creates serious threats of escalation’.
The far-right extremists were also attempting to discredit the Namakhvani Hydro Power Plant (HPP) protesters when they moved from the western Georgia to Tbilisi in late May.
In particular, RDI says that Guram and Alexandre Palavandishvili, who attended the rallies against the construction of the HPP, ‘insulted and physically assaulted members of civil movements and LGBT community’ sparking tension among the protesters.