Georgian PM claims “violent youth organisations” with “dark and opaque money” present at protest rallies
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Friday addressed “sincere young people” in the country with an open letter amid ongoing protests against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, claiming “violent youth organisations” funded with “dark and opaque money” were acting at the rallies. Photo: Gov't Administration
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Friday addressed “sincere young people” in the country with an open letter amid ongoing protests against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, claiming “violent youth organisations” funded with “dark and opaque money” were acting at the rallies.
He noted the protests had been held in capital Tbilisi since the Parliament began hearings of the bill, claiming they involved a “large number” of young people who were “consistently participating” in the actions but were “completely insincere young [United National Movement opposition party members]”.
He also alleged the groups were funded by David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister in the UNM Government, and foreign donors, and represented youth organisations of UNM, Nika Melia, the former Chair of the party, Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi TV and founder of Ahali party, former PM Giorgi Gakharia, the founder For Georgia political party, and Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the Lelo for Georgia political party.
He alleged the groups “unite dozens of violent youth”, adding Khazaradze was “financing a GenZ movement whose leader is significantly older than [the generation]“.
There are GenZ, Shame [movement], Franklin Club, Academy of the Future, The Wave, Stubborns, Step, Full Stop, Dafioni, Students for the European Future, [and] Movement for Freedom which collectively encompass around 200 violent youths loyal to UNM”, he claimed.
Kobakhidze said “sincere young people who believe that they are doing a good and important thing” were also participating in the protests alongside the alleged groups.
He added the organisers’ “pseudo-liberal ideology” had “made the youth who directly or indirectly follow the collective United National Movement believed that they were the example of sincerity and progressiveness in this country”, adding ”sincerity has value only when it is supported by knowledge and intelligence”.