On November 10, the Facebook page “Facts and Choice” published a comment by government expert Gia Abashidze, which was about the German Embassy’s post regarding the “peaceful revolution.” Gia Abashidze’s comment reads: “Of late, the German Embassy has distinguished itself for radical, undiplomatic statements, and this time, it was certainly no exception. However, many statements have been made in various countries to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the ‘peaceful revolution’ was not mentioned in any of them.”
The claim that the German Embassy made statements about the fall of the Berlin Wall in other countries but mentioned the “peaceful revolution” only in the Georgian text is disinformation. In reality, the text was not intended specifically for the Georgian context. The Embassy published videos and texts of similar content in multiple countries, in which the “peaceful revolution” is also mentioned.
On November 9, in connection with the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Embassy in Tbilisi published a Facebook post. It states that for many years, citizens of the German Democratic Republic had been trapped in a system of oppression and violence. Citizens of Germany demonstrated courage and a desire to determine their own future, which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Facebook post begins with the phrase: “A peaceful revolution is possible. The fall of the Berlin Wall is an example of this.”
The German embassies and consulates in various countries marked the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with similar Facebook posts. In most cases, they shared a video that tells the story of the Berlin Wall and the significance of its fall. The video ends with the phrase: “Today, this wall is history, and its message is as relevant as ever: it is possible to overcome oppression without violence.”
The embassies and consulates issued similar statements in several countries, including in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in connection with the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. These statements mention the “peaceful revolution,” which confirms that the Georgian-language text was not specifically aimed at Georgia and did not include a call for revolution. For example, the German embassies in Belgium, Malta, Slovenia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and others referred to the fall of the Berlin Wall as the “peaceful revolution” in their posts. The same post was published by the German Embassy in Kosovo and Ireland.
In addition to European countries, the German consulates in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada also noted regarding the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, that a “peaceful revolution” is possible.
The German embassies in several countries of Asia (1, 2) and Africa (1, 2, 3) also mentioned the “peaceful revolution” in their statements marking the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The statement by the German Embassy, which discusses the possibility of a “peaceful revolution,” is not intended solely for the Georgian context; its publication is part of the overall campaign related to the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, under the hashtag #weinvestinfreedom. However, in some countries, including Ukraine, Moldova, and Serbia, the embassies published different texts. These posts discuss the fall of the Berlin Wall and the desire of the Germans to be free. While these posts, unlike those from other embassies, do not mention the peaceful revolution, they do include a video stating that it is possible to overcome oppression without violence.
Government expert Gia Abashidze often disseminates misleading claims and disinformation. This month, Myth Detector has already fact-checked two such claims he shared on social media.
About the source:
The Facebook page “Facts and Choice” was created on August 27, 2024. The very first post published on the page states that its goal is to ensure that during the pre-election period, “no one will be able to mislead the public.” The page mainly publishes assessments from government experts, while targets of its posts are opposition parties, non-governmental organizations, actors critical of the Central Election Commission, and local election monitoring organizations. The page has already been analyzed by the Myth Detector. For a detailed review, see the report:
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