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Disinformation Against the European Union
On the Backdrop of the 2022 Candidate Status Granting
The recommendation of the candidate status of the European Union for Georgia by the European Commission on November 8, 2023 was a major milestone in the history of Georgia's integration into the EU. This process was marred by disinformation and sabotage by malicious actors, however as it is not yet fully complete, it may be prudent to remember that this is the second time that the granting of the candidate status is being decided for Georgia and the first bid, the outcome of which was known on June 23, 2022, ended unsuccessfully.
It is the examining of this period, from the application of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in March 2022 to the announcement of the results in June 2022 that might give us invaluable insight into the informational landscape we face today. Here will be examined the disinformation campaign against the EU and its components during the original bid of Georgia for candidate status and the main actors and their narratives perpetuated during it.
The main sources of disinformation was the ruling party itself, as well as various media and proxy groups asscociated with it. The false claims ranged from common themes of anti-EU disinformation to outright attacks on the European Union and its components.
Disinformation, as if legalizing same sex marriage was a precondition of joining the EU
A common piece of disinformation spread by pro-Kremlin and pro-government media was about a specific issue, that a precondition of joining the European Union was the country legalising same sex marriage. This narrative further claimed that this requirement was one of the criteria listed in the EU questionnaire. This was not only false, further confirmed as a fabrication by the EU delegation in Georgia, but at the same time contained the misleading notion that the questionnaire outlined requirements, when in fact, it is not the only determiner. It is likewise notable that same sex marriage is not legal in 6 EU member states, as well as all of the countries currently holding candidate status.
Incompatible Geography and Loss of Identity
A common claim circulated to counter Georgia's EU aspirations is that it simply is not a part of the European continent and therefore, it cannot ascend to the European Union. This claim, while pervasive, is easily debunked, as the European Union itself categorizes Georgia as part of the Central and Eastern Europe Region, therefore, as any other European country, eligable to join the Union.
A second, likewise pervasive claim is that joining the EU has the precondition of giving up national identity and culture. This is likewise simple to counter with evidence, as the EU spends billions yearly on protecting and investing into the culture of its member states.
Attacks on members of the European Parliament
In addition to disinformation narratives concerning the EU and the ascession to it in general, high ranking members of the ruling party have also directly attacked members of the European Parliament.
The chairman of the ruling party, Irakli Kobakhidze declared members of the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon and Anna Fotyga as "the Anti-European Union".
The comments were followed after the minister of culture, Tea Tsulukiani declared that a "narrow group of foreigners" seeks to overthrow the Georgian government in cooperation with the Georgian opposition.
Assault on the European Parliament at large
On a seperate occasion, Irakli Kobakhidze, one of the ruling party's top members launched another assault against the EU, this time, against the European People's Party (EPP), the single largest party in the European Parliament. Kobakhidze declared EPP as a "European collective of criminal parties", largely owing to the membership of the largest Georgian opposition party, UNM, in it.
Condemnation of the
European Union as a whole
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and one of the highest ranking members of the ruling party declared that "it is unaccaptable, when you are being told to be a slave" when referring to the EU. In the wider quote, Kaladze stated:
"I used to live in one of Europe's best cities and know very well what European values are. I know what kind of great civilization European development can bring, but friends, I repeat once more, when you are being told to be a slave, that you must stand on one leg, it is categorically unaccaptable".
Rhetoric and Conspracies of a Second Front
One of the most frequently used narratives by both the ruling party and the proxies associated with it is the conspiracy of "malicious internal and external forces" seeking to "draw Georgia into the Russian-Ukrainian war and open a second front against Russia".
This rhetoric, fueled by the tension created by the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, draws on deep seated trauma and scars in society stemming from the 2008 invasion of Georgia by Russia, as well as two simultanous proxy wars initiated by Russia in the 1990s in Apkhazia and Tskhinvali region, leading to the military occupation of both.
The anxieties created by trauma from multiple wars within recent memory are weaponized by the government and associated groups and often directed at the EU as well, with multiple EU parliament members, parties or even whole countries accused of seeking to overthrow the ruling party and draw Georgia into a war against Russia.
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In hindsight, it is not difficult to see why the ruling party was denied candidate status during the initial EU decision in June 2022, as from the moment of the formal submission of the application, to the announcement of results, Georgian Dream and media affiliated with it seemed to choose a rhetoric of open hostility towards the EU on nearly every level, with both its high ranking officials and associated informational outlets accusing the EU or its components of attempting to overthrow the Georgian government, draw it into a war with Russia, lose its identity and culture and force it to pass legislation it does not want to.
The channels with which antagonistic narratives were distributed were multiple in number, as was the range of the targets of the disinformation campaign, but reviewing the conduct of the government during the first attempt to get candidate status gives us greater insight into the informational landscape today.