On December 15, a Facebook user known for frequently spreading disinformation shared a video of singing at a protest rally. In the video, it is unclear what the young people are singing, and the voices sound more like a combination of indistinct sounds than a regular song. Judging from the description and comments, it appears that the video is being circulated to ridicule and discredit the protest.
The video of the song at the rally has been digitally altered. The sound and visuals of the video have been reversed. After reversing the video again, it becomes clear that the young people are singing a song written to Akaki Tsereteli’s poem “Thoughts of a Dying Man.”
The video, in which the young people are singing in front of Kashveti Church, has been reversed. This manipulation is the reason for the unnatural sound. Once the video is reversed again, the song becomes distinguishable, and it can be heard that the young people are singing a song based on Akaki Tsereteli’s “Thoughts of a Dying Man.”
The circulated video after reversing
This song was performed by Conservatory students near Kashveti Church on December 15 and was dedicated to the detained and injured participants of the protest. Originally, composer Jemal Beglarishvili dedicated the song to the victims of April 9, also known as “The massacre of Tbilisi,” when, on April 9, 1989, a pro-independence demonstration was crushed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 21 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
The edited video circulated on Facebook, as well as the video published by Netgazeti, feature the same young people, which further confirms that the individuals in the video are Conservatory students.
The young people from the edited video | ![]() |
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The same young people in the Netgazeti video | ![]() |
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