'Theater of the absurd': what happens in Georgia after the obscene language against Putin

Against the background of almost three weeks of protests that broke out after emergence in the Georgian parliament of the Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov, a new scandal broke out in Georgia.

This time, one of the largest Georgian television companies, Rustavi 2, was at the epicenter. Its host Georgy Gabunia began the Sunday edition of his program with obscene language addressed to the Russian president.

Representatives of the authorities one after another accused the channel of provocation, and a protest rally gathered outside the television station that night.

The protesters dispersed only towards morning, demanding that the authorities begin an investigation into the use of the lead mat. The demonstrators demanded not only his departure, but also the resignation of the general director of the television station Nika Gvaramiya.

Gvaramiya apologized for the mate on the air, but he called what was happening around the critical of the TV company a direct attempt to capture it.

Gabunia on Monday afternoon was suspended for two months. As reported in the television, the restrictions imposed on the host relate to all programs that he prepares or leads.

Interrupted Broadcast

Those who gathered near the television company building accused the television company of provocation and creating a threat to the security of the country. The demonstrators chanted: “Long live Georgia without Rustavi 2.”

On Monday night, Rustavi 2 suspended broadcasting for several hours. The general director of the television company called on the authorities to ensure the safety of the channel's employees, noting that it would stop broadcasting until this condition is met.

“What we see is not a spontaneous action. This is an action organized by the authorities,” Gvaramia said on television.

“We believe that the only positive side of a very unpleasant incident and a serious mistake by Gabunia is absolute lustration in society. We received even better lustration than during Gavrilov’s visit,” he said.

According to him, the Georgian authorities did not tolerate the obscene mention of Putin and, with slavish obedience, began to apologize to the Russian president.

At the same time, Gvaramia said that no one would resign, and the TV channel would not give the head of the “honored pro-Western journalist” to the “pro-Putin crowd.”

The television company issued an official statement apologizing for the presenter's words.

“We believe that Georgy Gabunia’s form of expression does not meet the high standards set by our channel. This issue will be considered by the TV channel’s self-government body,” Rustavi 2 said in a statement.

At the same time, the TV companies consider the restrictions on freedom of expression, interference with the freedom of the media and the legalization of censorship statements made by the authorities on this matter.

The television company resumed broadcasting in the morning, after the protesters at the television building dispersed.

Condemnation by the authorities

After Gabunia’s scandalous monologue, representatives of the Georgian authorities, one after another, made statements condemning the presenter and accusing the television company of provocation, which they called the mouthpiece of the opposition party “United National Movement” (UNM), founded by Mikheil Saakashvili.

“This is a war of provocateurs against their own country, a dirty and disgusting game with the security of the state and citizens,” said Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, commenting on the words of Gabunia.

The mayor of Tbilisi and the secretary general of the ruling party, Kakha Kaladze, said that it was unacceptable to leave a provocation of such magnitude unpunished.

“This whole thing has a simple name - hostility towards one’s own country. Once we have already seen a country brought to the most difficult situation by such hostility on the part of the same political force. This cannot be allowed to happen a second time. And we won’t allow this!” wrote Kaladze on Facebook.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also condemned provocative, in her opinion, insults against the Russian president.

“Protecting the interests of the state is not achieved through aggression, destabilization and unrest. Our path is peaceful, our prospect is Europe, and our strength is stability,” wrote Zourabichvili on Facebook.

The words of the leader in the foreign policy department of Georgia were not ignored.

In its official statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry She urged The international community should properly assess the actions of the television company and its presenter, calling Gabunia’s words “pure provocation” aimed at further aggravating the already difficult situation in Russian-Georgian relations.

The ruling party said that behind the words of Gabunia was actually another attempted coup.

Gabunia’s statements are not an excess of a private television company or a journalist, but part of the long-term war of ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement party against the Georgian people, Vice-Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Georgiy Volsky said at a briefing on Monday.

“The dirtiest political provocation that Georgian society saw on the air of Rustavi 2 represents a new coup attempt, which was prevented by Georgian law enforcement officers,” Volsky said.

"Theater of the Absurd"

The Georgian opposition also condemned the statement of Giorgi Gabunia on the air of Rustavi 2.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgian media should not become like the “hysterical Russian media.”

“The truth is on our side, and the truth must be conveyed in a civilized form! Shocking and hysterical behavior will only harm our cause,” wrote Saakashvili on Facebook.

But, according to a representative of the opposition party European Georgia, which broke away from the UNM, the response from the authorities is also unacceptable.

“This is the first time I have seen the Georgian Foreign Ministry calling on the international community and international organizations to evaluate the statement of a journalist from an independent TV channel’s author’s program. This is a theater of the absurd,” Sergi Kapanadze, a representative of European Georgia and former Deputy Foreign Minister, said in an interview with the TV channel.

Mat already was

While the monologue of the leading TV channel addressed to the Russian president caused a wide resonance and caused the dismissal of the leader, the obscene vocabulary on the television channel sounds not the first time.

For example, last year, the general director of the television company, Nika Gvaramia, swore at photographer Yuri Mechitov in the “Sunday Accents” program for his statements about the events of April 9, 1989.

Gvaramia also used obscene language towards the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Supporters of the government have repeatedly criticized the TV channel for obscene language, but social network users drew attention to the fact that abuse of the Russian president was heard not only on the air of Rustavi 2, and Gabunia is not the first presenter to use obscene language.

Before him, the hosts Otar Tatishvili and Vasiko Odishvili spoke obscenely about Putin. True, the unsigned appeals to Putin were much shorter than Gabunia’s monologue and sounded in humorous and satirical shows.

Moscow reaction and protests in Georgia

In Moscow, the reaction of the Georgian authorities to the statement of the presenter was satisfied.

“We note that this time - unlike the June 20 attack on members of the Russian parliamentary delegation - the Georgian authorities did not justify the radicals, but found the strength to distance themselves from the provocateurs and condemn their behavior. We also see the justified indignation with which the incident was perceived in Georgian society,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

For almost three weeks now, protests in Tbilisi have erupted after the appearance of the Russian deputy Sergei Gavrilov in the chair of the Georgian parliament.

The protesters, and predominantly young among them, have been demanding the resignation of Georgian Interior Minister Georgy Gakharia for the third week, believing him responsible for dispersing demonstrators on the night of 20 on June 21.

20 June, thousands of people came to the parliament building to protest the appearance of a Russian deputy in the chair of the country's main legislative body.

The police used tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters, some of whom attempted to rush into the courtyard of the parliament. Since then, protests have been held at the parliament in the center of Tbilisi every evening.

On Monday, protesters came to the parliament building to hold a gay parade in Georgia.

Protesters promise to remain outside parliament, demanding the repeal of Georgia's anti-discrimination law and a ban on “propaganda of depravity.”

Those who took to the protests after 20 on June claim that the authorities mobilized Kremlin-led groups against peaceful protest.

Despite this, they nevertheless urged the participants to come out in the evening to the action, which has already become traditional in the last few weeks.

Read also on ForumDaily:

What vaccinations are recommended for residents of the United States before traveling to post-Soviet countries

How to prove that you need political asylum in the US

10 ways to stay in the USA

Activists in the USA: what the Americans fought for and what came of it

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.