On December 4, the government-aligned television channel, POSTV, published three quotes attributed to the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan, on Facebook (1; 2; 3). In all three, the Ambassador is alleged to have expressed concern over acts of vandalism and destruction of infrastructure by demonstrators, as well as violence against journalists and law enforcement during the ongoing protests. The media outlet’s posts are accompanied by a description stating, “This is what an objective ambassador’s comment on violence by protesters should look like.” Judging by the reactions to the quotes, some users perceive them as genuine and believe the Ambassador condemned the violence attributed to the protesters.
Such a form of dissemination by POSTV of quotes attributed to Ambassador Robin Dunnigan is misleading to users. In reality, the Ambassador has not made such a statement about the ongoing events. It cannot be found in open sources, and the U.S. Embassy in Georgia denied the authenticity of the circulated quotes.
Such quotes by Robin Dunnigan cannot be found in open sources. They have not been posted on the social media pages (1;2), or the website of the U.S. Embassy. A statement of this kind by the Ambassador was also not published in the media (1;2;3). Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia confirmed to Myth Detector that Ambassador Dunnigan had not made such a statement.
“This is what an objective ambassador’s comment on violence by protesters should look like,” wrote the pro-government media in the description of the information card, without clarifying that the Ambassador did not, in fact, make the comment. Comments from Facebook users indicate that many perceive the quotes as genuine.
On November 28, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the Georgian Dream would not put the opening of EU accession negotiations on the agenda until the end of 2028. Two days later, on November 30, the United States suspended its strategic partnership agreement with Georgia. In an official statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller explained that the decision was a response to the Georgian Dream’s anti-democratic actions. The statement reads:
“Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership, which was based on shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, civil society, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and anti-corruption efforts. As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism.”
Robin Dunnigan herself commented on the ongoing events in Georgia on November 29. In an official statement, the Ambassador noted that the ruling party’s decision calls again into question its commitment to a Western path. She called on the Georgian Dream to reconsider its decision and return the country to the path of Western integration and democracy. Dunnigan also commented on the protests, stating:
“Overnight, we all witnessed police violence against detained protesters and journalists. I call on the government to respect the rights of Georgian citizens to peacefully protest and to respect the freedom of the press to cover the protests unmolested.”
Additionally, on December 3, three American senators – Ben Cardin, Roger Wicker, and John Cornyn – condemned the use of force against demonstrators in Georgia. In a joint statement, they noted that Georgia is heading toward Russian-style autocracy and that the efforts of the Georgian people for Euro-Atlantic integration demand the continued solidarity of its partners.
In response to Georgian Dream’s decision, protests are being held across Georgia. Government-aligned media outlets are engaged in a disinformation campaign, attempting to portray the demonstrations as violent gatherings. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs as of December 2, during the protests, 224 people were arrested, and 113 ministry employees were injured. Protesters have reported police violence following their arrests (1; 2; 3).
POSTV has also circulated fake quotes in the past, attributing them to Ambassador Dunnigan and the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, which allegedly also concerned violence by the protesters, and wrote in the descriptions that “This is what the news would have been if it had been Mtavari Channel instead of Imedi TV!” However, these information cards of POSTV were later shared on Facebook by users asserting that the ambassadors had indeed made such statements. The posts were subsequently fact-checked by Myth Detector.
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