Shalva Papuashvili: Democracy cannot be consolidated through dirty methods - NGOs that spread hatred and incite violence cannot be considered civil society

Democracy cannot be consolidated through dirty methods. Non-governmental organizations that spread hatred and incite violence cannot be considered civil society. They distort the idea of both the West and ​​democracy, - Speaker of Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili writes on social networks.

“Two days ago, late at night, aggressive activists of the radical opposition gathered in front of the house of Tea Tsulukiani, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, and insulted and threatened her and her family members, including a young child.

Before that, the head of one of the opposition NGOs, Baia Pataraia, among many other threatening and humiliating posts, wished death for Tea Tsulukiani on social media, using the harshest possible terms in the Georgian language.

These NGO cartel bosses and the opposition-controlled media are increasingly resembling “Radio of the Thousand Hills,” the hate media that played a key role in the genocide that took place in Rwanda 30 years ago.

The hate speech of NGOs, opposition party media, and the so-called civil activists has become a daily occurrence. Under the guise of freedom of speech, these people not only incite political polarization, but also strive for civil confrontation, which is the main tactic of their struggle for power.

Representatives of such groups may not have pulled the trigger themselves, but they are the ones who create the hysterical environment that made possible the assassination attempts on US President Trump and Slovak Prime Minister Fico. It is clear that hysteria and the creation of targets for mass hatred have become the main tactics of pseudo-liberal forces. Only luck and a few millimeters saved Trump and Fico.

In this dangerous and massive hate campaign, they are supported, with generous funding, by foreign donors who rhetorically proclaim their commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and, most cynically, human rights. At the same time, their favorite grant recipients act as the main disruptors of social cohesion, democratic consolidation, and constructive political engagement.

It is impossible to fund terror and at the same time deny responsibility. The new trend of foreign diplomats visiting the groups engaged in street violence and hate campaigns to demonstrate support only further fuels the sense of disorganization within these groups.

Democracy cannot be consolidated through dirty means. Non-governmental organizations that spread hatred and incite violence cannot be considered civil society. They distort the idea of ​​both the West and democracy. As it turned out, it was a small step from civil society to uncivil society.

Unfortunately, as we see, the sincere recognition of the existing bad practices of foreign aid by the current US administration was not followed by similar steps by European and British donors, who decided to continue the previous practice of politically undermining the governments of foreign countries,” Papuashvili writes.