"The Russian, KGB-style propaganda of Ivanishvili and his subordinates has gone beyond all limits," Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Strong Georgia coalition, said in response to the anti-Armenian campaign against him on social media. Khazaradze apologized to the Armenian people.
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"The recent slanderous campaign has affected not only me but also our brotherly people, the Armenians. I apologize to them for the tasteless and immoral xenophobic outbursts of the Georgian Dream. If one of my ancestors were Armenian or from another brotherly nation, I would openly and proudly acknowledge it to those who are concerned about such news or embarrassed by their origins – are xenophobic!
Long live the lives of Georgians, Armenians, Israelis, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Yezidis, and other brotherly and related nations in a strong Georgia! Long live a strong Georgia with its diversity, strength, and mutual respect. Bidzina and the KGB should come to an end on October 26! May your ancestors, as well as mine – Khundadze, Khazaradze, Bashaleishvili, and Adeishvili – live on," wrote Mamuka Khazaradze on Facebook.
Before the parliamentary elections, government-affiliated media POSTV launched an anti-Armenian campaign against Khazaradze. On September 30, the propaganda channel aired a video titled Khazaradze’s Armenian Shalakho, adapting the lyrics of a popular song. Later, on October 11, a POSTV journalist interviewed Khazaradze, pressing him with the question: 'Why do you hide your Armenian origin? We know you are of Armenian descent and are ashamed to admit it. Armenians are our brotherly nation, wonderful people - why are you ashamed to admit it?' the journalist asked.
The campaign against Mamuka Khazaradze, reminiscent of the 1990s, was perceived as an attempt to stoke ethnic conflict and was condemned as xenophobia. The Multicultural Georgia movement filed a complaint against POSTV with the Charter of Journalistic Ethics, arguing that the video (interview) broadcast by the channel was discriminatory, as it relied on a stereotyped attitude in society that political parties often exploit for electoral manipulation and political gain.
Public Defender Levan Ioseliani also addressed the issue, stating that while the media’s main role is to ask questions, it should not be discriminatory. “It does not matter to which ethnic group a Georgian citizen belongs. As per the constitution and the law, we are all equal,” said Ioseliani.
