On December 5, the government-aligned television channel POSTV disseminated the following quote attributed to the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski: “It is a fact that when protesters do not resort to violence, there is no need for the police to respond.” In the description of the post, the media outlet wrote, “This is what an objective ambassador’s comment on violence by protesters should look like.” Judging by the reactions to the post, it is evident that Facebook users believe the ambassador made such a statement.
The aforementioned quote was shared in Facebook groups by government-affiliated expert Ghia Abashidze.
POSTV is spreading a fake quote attributed to Pawel Herczynski in a way that misleads Facebook users. In reality, Herczynski never made such a statement; it cannot be found in the media or on the official website of the EU Delegation to Georgia.
The claim that the EU Ambassador allegedly stated that police actions are provoked by protesters’ violence does not appear in any open sources. Myth Detector could not find it on the official Facebook and X pages of the EU Delegation to Georgia, as well as its websites. No such statement from Herczynski on the ongoing events has been reported in the media (1, 2, 3).
According to the description in the post of the government-aligned media POSTV, “This is what an objective ambassador’s comment on violence by protesters should look like.” However, the media does not indicate that the quote is fake, leading users to believe that the ambassador acknowledged violence by protesters. Moreover, the description of the post itself is ambiguous; it is unclear whether this is a call from the media or praise for an actual statement by the ambassador.
In recent days, the pro-government POSTV has been spreading fake quotes attributed to ambassadors, accompanied by the same description: “This is what an objective ambassador’s comment on violence by protesters should look like.” On December 4, they disseminated three fake quotes attributed to U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, allegedly condemning violence by protesters. Myth Detector established that these quotes were fabricated and did not belong to the U.S. Ambassador.
It is worth noting that POSTV initially shared fake quotes with a different description: “This is what the news would have been if it had been Mtavari Channel instead of Imedi TV!” While the text on the information cards alone could mislead users, the description of the post suggested that the quotes were fictional. Since POSTV stopped including such clarifications in its posts, the quotes are now perceived as genuine by their audience.
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What does the European Union actually say?
On November 28, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the Georgian Dream would not include opening EU membership negotiations on its agenda until the end of 2028. The very next day, the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski responded to this decision. Herczynski stated that the decision contradicts both the Georgian Dream’s previous policies and the will of the Georgian people. He also emphasized that Georgia is a sovereign state and must decide for itself whether it wishes to join the European Union. On the same day, Herczynski told journalists that in response to Georgian Dream’s actions, the EU is considering all possible options, including the suspension of the visa-free regime. On December 16, the EU Foreign Affairs Council will hold a session where the leaders of member states are expected to discuss Georgia’s situation.
EU leaders have also reacted to recent developments in Georgia and the use of force to disperse protests. On December 1, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote on platform X that she supports the Georgian people and their European aspirations. She reaffirmed that the EU’s doors remain open to Georgia. Similarly, President of the European Council António Costa stated that the actions of Georgian authorities go against the will of the people. Costa’s post reads:
“We condemn the violence against peaceful protesters. Actions of the government run counter to the will of the people. The EU stands with the people of Georgia.”
Since the night of November 28, protests have been ongoing in Georgia. Every day, the riot police dispersed the gatherings with force and detained participants. On December 4, searches were conducted at the offices of opposition parties and several civil society organizations. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the searches, helmets, gas masks, large amounts of fireworks, transmission devices, computer equipment, Molotov cocktails, paint, and various chemical substances were seized.
On December 5, members of the Georgian Dream repeatedly claimed that no force was needed to disperse the protests on the nights of December 4-5 because the protesters had not resorted to violence. They attributed this change to the removal of certain items from the party and organization offices. The Prime Minister stated, “As soon as we removed the weapons of violence from the party offices, the violence ended immediately.” Echoing this statement, MP Nino Tsilosani said, “As soon as ‘combat’ supplies of unpatriotic politicians were found and neutralized, the protest became peaceful.” The fake quote attributed to Pawel Herczynski aligns closely with these recent narratives from the Georgian Dream.
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