A campaign has been launched, first and foremost, by the Georgian Dream prime minister, and then the smaller ones continue it. This concerns the events of October 4. Apparently, I am an organizer, or I was among the organizers - this is how Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, responded to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement linking her to October 4.

Zurabishvili said that the hybrid campaign against her intensified precisely because she defends the interests of the people and voices their demands.

“I think you have become used to - and I have also become used to - the fact that no matter the insults, humiliation, or attacks, I do not consider it necessary to respond every time. However, I do think it is wrong, in relation to the public, to stay silent when the time comes and not react to an attack that is clearly part of a campaign, leaving the matter unclear.

This campaign was initiated by the Georgian Dream prime minister and then carried on by the smaller ones. This concerns October 4. Apparently, I am the organizer or among the organizers.

This is totally unacceptable to me, not only because it is based on nothing - I had no connection whatsoever to organizing or participating. I do not know the people who are unjustly in prison today. I have had no contact with them and could not have had any, because my entire belief is that this country needs strengthening of its democratic system.

Unfortunately, during my time here, this has become less and less the case, and we are moving from an authoritarian regime toward a Russian-type authoritarianism. Despite this, I believe our future is democratic - a future where the people choose their path peacefully, and that time will come. We see what happened in Bulgaria; governments must resign under peaceful internal and external pressure.

I thought this way during Saakashvili’s regime as well - I stood for 138 days and said: no overthrow, no deal! And I stand by the same principle today - no overthrow, no compromise with these people (Georgian Dream).

Why would I have headed toward the palace, when I left the palace voluntarily and explained why? Because a building is just a building - it represents nothing. And what really matters, what is called statehood, has nothing to do with whether a president sits in a particular building. Today the presidency is the last island of legitimacy.

Legitimacy does not mean I want something for myself - I want it for the institution that I still represent. If I fail to protect this legitimacy, it means the parliament is also legitimate, Kavlelashvili is legitimate, and all the rest. That is why I am the barrier that protects us from this illegitimate government and gives the public the chance to achieve what protesters demand every day and will continue demanding - fair parliamentary elections that will replace this illegitimate government.

Interestingly, this campaign is not only coming from Georgian Dream circles. It is being assisted and is in symbiosis with some members of the UNM. Georgian Dream accuses me of organizing October 4, while some UNM members accuse me of sabotaging October 4, March 31, April 9 - where they themselves initiated provocations during my appearances.

The combination of these attacks is both alarming and encouraging. It means that what is most unacceptable to their Russian masters is the person who represents the public’s demand - and society today expresses deep dissatisfaction. This is no longer just dissatisfaction - it is the sense that the country is heading toward Russia, and stopping this is essential. But society also does not want a return to the UNM’s past, nor remaining in the hands of today’s ‘Russian Dream.’

This is society’s demand, and since I remain the symbol of that demand, such an active campaign has been launched - a campaign linked directly to the ongoing hybrid operation to ensure that Georgia is fully captured by the Russian model. This does not necessarily mean Russian troops entering, but through this regime, the Georgian spirit, identity, and most importantly, Georgian freedom and independence, are being captured. I will never accept this, and that is probably why I am unbearable to many - and I intend to remain unbearable for a long time,” Zurabishvili said at the briefing.

As a reminder, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said yesterday at a press conference, while speaking about the events of October 4, that a coup rally had been announced.

“A coup does not have two interpretations - a coup is a coup. There was a direct call for overthrow. People went to that rally with a specific intention - among them were members of three parties, former President Salome Zurabishvili. They went with the desire and aim of overthrow. However, when they saw that the attempt failed, they immediately distanced themselves from the coup rally,” the prime minister said.