On November 17, several news outlets, including Prime Time, Info 9, News Hub, Exclusive News, and several Facebook accounts (1, 2), as well as Adjara Public Broadcaster, disseminated information alleging that the political party Lelo for Georgia did not support the idea of picketing Varaziskhevi and left the protest rally on the same day. The original source of this information was Prime Time, which stated: “According to PRIME TIME’s information, Lelo refused to join the picketing of Varaziskhevi. The leaders of the political party left the territory.”
The media reports claiming that the political party Lelo for Georgia refused to join the picketing of Varaziskhevi on November 17 are false. Members of the political party were present at the protest rally outside the first building of Tbilisi State University until late at night, which is confirmed by live television comments and posts of party politicians on social networks. The same was confirmed to Myth Detector by the Lelo public relations department.
On November 17, a protest titled “Reclaim Your Voice” was held in Tbilisi. Citizens demonstrated against the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections. Political parties also participated in the protest. In particular, the coalition “For Change” started their march from Vake Park and concluded near the first building of Tbilisi State University. The coalition “Strong Georgia” began their march from Marjanishvili Square and joined the protest rally in front of the Parliament. By 9 PM, media outlets (1, 2, 3) reported that members and supporters of the coalition “For Change” had set up tents near the university. Moreover, Chavchavadze Avenue and Varaziskhevi were blocked.
Members of the political party, Lelo for Georgia, who are also part of the coalition “Strong Georgia”, joined the protest near Tbilisi State University. During the march toward the university, one of the party’s co-founders, Badri Japaridze, gave an interview (55:33) to a journalist from TV Formula. Japaridze stated that there were various forms of protest and that they generally supported protests against the election results. From the studio of the program “Droeba,” the host of the program, Giorgi Targamadze, asked Japaridze (59:40) in what form leaders of Lelo would participate in the protest taking place in front of the university. In response, Japaridze said: “A separate protest action has now been organized. We are not aware of what is, so to speak, the continuation of this protest. Consequently, we, of course, wish these people success, but we must understand that [protest] will take various forms. It is not necessary for everyone to participate in the protest in the same form.”
After tents were set up near the Tbilisi State University and Varaziskhevi was blocked, a number of members of Lelo for Georgia made comments on live television from the protest site. For example, the General Secretary of the party, Irakli Kupradze, gave interviews to several TV channels, including Formula (2:39:00) and Mtavari Arkhi (2:52:20). The opposition party leader gave interviews to TV stations even after 11 PM, when the tents had already been pitched and Varaziskhevi blocked. During his comment to Formula, the politician said that the setting up of the tents had not been agreed with them and that there was a need for better coordination among the opposition political parties, but he confirmed that they join the protest.
Lelo member Dea Metreveli was also present at the protest near the Tbilisi State University. On November 17, she posted a photo on Facebook showing her with other party members, with tents visible in the background. The photo had a caption: “No to rigged elections!” The following morning, on November 18, she posted another photo from the protest site and wrote, “No to rigged elections! The protest continues.”
Late at night, Tazo Datunashvili, a member of the Political Council of Lelo for Georgia, also made a comment on Mtavari Arkhi (2:58:13). He said that the election was rigged and emphasized the significance of the protest. While Datunashvili was speaking to the journalist, tents set up near the university were visible in the footage. His interview took place after 3 AM, by which time Varaziskhevi had already been blocked.
Another Lelo member, Giorgi Sioridze, also attended the Varaziskhevi picketing protest. He gave an interview to Formula at around 10:30 PM (2:41:30). By that time, protest participants had already blocked Varaziskhevi.
On the evening of November 17, during the protest where tents were set up in front of Tbilisi State University and nearby streets were blocked, members of Lelo for Georgia were actively visible in the media. Additionally, the party’s public relations department confirmed to Myth Detector that their members were present at the protest until late at night on November 17 as well as on the morning of November 18.
False information about the political party, Lelo for Georgia, has been repeatedly circulated on social media. The discrediting campaign became particularly active during the pre-election period. Myth Detector regularly verifies such suspicious posts.
About the source:
One of the Facebook accounts spreading disinformation about the opposition party belongs to Irma Khakhutashvili, a supporter of the ruling party Georgian Dream. Khakhutashvili regularly posts anti-Western content and false news and information against the Georgian opposition on social media. Myth Detector has previously verified her posts and found that this account was involved in discrediting campaigns targeting former Ombudsman Nino Lomjaria and the leader of Lelo for Georgia, Mamuka Khazaradze.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
