On April 9, a protest was held at the initiative of the family members of those detained during pro-European demonstrations in Tbilisi. On the same day, social media users, Facebook pages, and news agencies (1, 2) posted a video of activist Ana Subeliani dancing on the April 9 Memorial. Most of these posts did not indicate when the video was filmed, leading readers to associate it with the April 9, 2025, protest. Only a few Facebook pages mentioned that the footage was from the archives.
The video of dancing on the memorial is real, but it is unrelated to the ongoing protests and was filmed in 2018. Seven years ago, protests erupted after special forces raided several nightclubs under the pretext of arresting drug dealers. The video of activist Ana Subeliani dancing on the memorial was filmed on May 13, 2018.
On the evening of April 8, 2025, a 24-hour protest began in front of the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue. The initiators of the protest were the family members of those detained during protest demonstrations. Their goal was to prevent representatives of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, from reaching the memorial the next day to pay tribute to the victims of April 9, 1989. Instead of going to the memorial, members of the Georgian Dream went to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where they attended a memorial service for the souls of those who died on April 9.
Members of the Georgian Dream also attempted to discredit the April 8-9 protest. For example, Irakli Kobakhidze wrote that “Today, on Rustaveli Avenue, a foreign force tried to provoke violence, and when they failed, they resorted to violence themselves.” He also referred to those responsible for the massacre of demonstrators on April 9, 1989, as a “foreign force.” A similar statement was made by Shalva Papuashvili, who wrote, “Today, on Rustaveli Avenue, the soldiers with spades under Rodionov’s command have been replaced by homeland-lost individuals waving foreign flags, who are attempting to destroy the idea of Georgia’s independence with the same ruthlessness.”
The viral spread of the 2018 video showing activist Ana Subeliani dancing on the April 9 Memorial on social media is likely aimed at discrediting the ongoing protest.
What Happened in May 2018?
On the night of May 12, 2018, special forces raided two nightclubs in Tbilisi, “Bassiani” and “Gallery.” Later, people gathered in front of the parliament to protest the incident. Within a few hours, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued its first statement, claiming that the purpose of the raid was to arrest drug dealers. According to officials, investigative work had been ongoing prior to the operation, and video recordings existed as evidence of drug sales. At the time, eight individuals were arrested on drug-related charges. Protests were underway in Tbilisi for several days.
On May 13, nationalist groups confronted protesters gathered outside the parliament. The Minister of Internal Affairs at the time, Giorgi Gakharia, met with some of the protesters in the evening, then went to Rustaveli Avenue, apologized to the demonstrators, and promised concrete results regarding drug policy reforms.
It was during these protests that activist Ana Subeliani danced on the April 9 Memorial.
Who Is Using the Activist’s Dance Video to Discredit the Ongoing Events?
The news agencies Mkhare.ge and Reportiori shared Ana Subeliani’s video while noting that it was from the archives. Mkhare.ge also claimed that Ana Subeliani was the organizer of the April 8-9 protest. Myth Detector has frequently investigated their disinformation and manipulative posts aimed at damaging the reputation of socially active individuals. These outlets often report news in a manner similar to pro-government TV channels and stand out for an anti-opposition stance.
Anonymous accounts such as “Natsi Khvitia” and “Mikheil Mzetunakhavi” are also involved in the discreditation campaign, spreading the video of the dance on the memorial. The latter account was recently created. Its first post was published on March 7, and since then, it has primarily shared visual manipulations and defamatory posts targeting activists and opposition politicians. Myth Detector regularly fact-checks “Natsi Khvitia” for its photo and video manipulations, which are also directed against government opponents.
Another account that published the 2018 video belongs to Giorgi Churghulia, an administrator of the anti-Western group “Anti-Maidan.” He is linked to the Georgian Dream party, listing it as his workplace on Facebook. His “Work and Education” section includes institutions such as the National Agency of Public Registry, the National Food Agency, the National Assessment and Examinations Center (NAEC), and the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC). The video was also shared by “Sido Sidonia,” the account supporting the Anti-Maidan idea and the Kremlin-affiliated Alt-Info. Additionally, it was posted by Irma Khakhutaishvili, a known supporter of the Georgian Dream who frequently spreads disinformation.
When sharing the video, some accounts do not clearly indicate that it is old, thus misleading some users into believing that the dance took place during the April 9, 2025 protest. For example, far-right activist and pro-Russian Alt-Info’s former host Aleksandre Palavandishvili shared a screenshot of Ana Subeliani’s post, where she wrote, “I haven’t felt this satisfied and happy after a protest in a long time!” referring to the April 9, 2025 protest, and Palavandishvili attached to it a screenshot from the 2018 video, linking the two events and writing, “Ana Subeliani, satisfied with the occupation of the April 9 Memorial.”
The Facebook page “Cheap Omo” was created in 2013 and has long been publishing manipulative videos. Alongside entertainment content, it shares videos of politicians, journalists, and activists that are often republished from other anti-Western and anti-opposition sources. When sharing the activist’s video, it added the caption “Ana Subeliani dancing on the April 9 Memorial” without specifying that the footage was from years ago.
Thus, anonymous and anti-opposition Facebook accounts, pages, and several news agencies have used Ana Subeliani’s dance video at the April 9 Memorial to undermine the ongoing protest.
