The Georgian government connects the protests with ‘Satanists’ – #Georgian #government #connects #protests #Satanists
of Georgia judge “10“Anarchists and Satanists funded by a budget of 0 million dollars,” he accuses.
It came as a surprise to the teenagers and their parents, members of the Franklin Club, which “promotes classical liberal/libertarian values.” The Franklin Club organizes lectures and seminars at the University of Georgia.
After tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets of Tbilisi from March 7 to 9, demanding that the parliament stop discussing the scandalous “foreign agent” law, the club judge It has become the target of the “Georgian Dream” party.
In question law of finance 20It required media and non-governmental organizations receiving more than 100% from foreign sources to register as “agents of foreign influence”.
Analogy accepted by critics in Russia law Billionaire and ex of this law as well Prime Minister Media and media of Bidzina Ivanishvili and his allies in the “Georgian Dream” party NGOThey say that it will allow him to take control over According to them, this is Georgia Europe It may harm the chances of EU membership. In June last year, the EU decided not to grant Georgia candidate status citing the need for more reforms.
Faced with mass protests, the Georgian government used violence against the demonstrators, but in March 10contradictory in law was forced to abandon the project. It was also made possible by the role of the new Georgian youth known as Generation Z or Zoomers. They are interested in their country staying on a pro-Western trajectory.
On March 12, after the demonstrators had gone home Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili He told the pro-government Imedi TV channel that the extremists were trying to destabilize the country. He called the Franklin Club (and not only them) an “anarchist group.”
“Their direct task was to engage in conflict with special forces, police, and provoke them with Molotov cocktails. [Onlar] they were dressed in satanist uniforms. I don’t want to show their faces, but what is happening here is terrible.” Garibashvili said.
Two days later, the chairman of the “Georgian Dream” party Irakli Kobakhidze “extremist youth” to march marches political that the groups are coming out,” he said. Speaking at a press conference in Tbilisi on March 14, Kobakhidze named among those groups “agents of foreign influence”. USAHe said that there is also the Franklin Club, which receives funding from the “Atlas Network” network.
One of the founders of the Franklin Club Rezi Topuria He told RFE/RL’s Georgian service that smears against the organization have already started appearing in the media in November 2022. He said that the boulevard newspaper “Asaval Dasavali” called the club “Masonic Lodge”. According to him, after that, the pro-government “Imedi” TV channel of the group 10He claimed to have a budget of 0 million dollars.
“It’s clear that we don’t have millions of dollars in funding and we’re not an anarcho-satanist group,” – Topuria says with a laugh.
Topuria says that the Franklin Club, founded a year and a half ago, was created to promote freedom and other classical liberal values. “In short, Benjamin Franklin in America, in Georgia and the values defended by Ilya Chavchavadze”, – Topuria stressed. Chavchavadze of Georgia in the 19th century national is a poet and writer who contributed to its revival.
In order to spread its message, the Franklin Club will teach 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students about freedom, economics, fundamental rights, etc. organizes lectures and seminars on topics. Meetings are held in an auditorium provided by the University of Georgia, which sponsors the Franklin Club.
If 30 students came to the first lecture of the Franklin Club, today the number of citizens who want to come to the club events is so large that there is not enough room for everyone. According to Topuria, the club currently has up to 2,000 young members.
Franklin Club in Georgia judge is not the only thing the party is concerned about. which has 150 members of parliament some deputies talked about the distribution of anti-Western literature in the assembly. One of the books is called “Exposing Lucifer”. Its cover features a red, devil-faced Statue of Liberty.
Regarding the financing of the club, Topuria says that they received two grants from Atlas Network. Atlas Network’s website states that it aims to “increase global well-being” by working with “independent partner organizations that promote individual freedoms and identify and remove barriers to human development.” According to Topuria, the total amount of grants received from this institution is “up to 10-15 percent” of the Franklin Club’s budget.
Kobakhidze, chairman of the “Georgian Dream” party, for supporting the Franklin Club, the University of Georgia and another private university in Tbilisi – Free He also targeted the university. He is a naive Georgian youth political complained about being involved in activism.
Rector of the University of Georgia Coca Tofuria said that the government just wants to “discredit the university and its students”.
Parents of children attending Franklin Club seminars and classes social by starting a media campaign, they ridiculed the notion that it is a harmful group.
“This is my 15-year-old son, a graduate of the Franklin Club and … according to the prime minister of the country, an anarchist and a Satanist.” – Cathy Bojqua mother named “Facebook“and his son Lashashared a photo with a certificate in his hand and wrote.
Giorgi Saitidze is another Franklinian (as club members jokingly call themselves). He wrote that he and his friends learned to think, analyze and ask questions at the club.
“We are informal education we get It includes all the subjects that we did not come close to at school.” – he says.
Topuria said the protests showed the strength of young Georgians in a conservative country where many politicians still look to Moscow.
“They saw in action the power of Generation Z, who are fearless, not closed-minded, and most importantly, they don’t need a messiah to lead them,” – he says.