MMA fighter Giorgi Kartvelishvili, together with like-minded individuals, has established  a new movement “to protect sacred values.” According to him, the movement will have an “immediate response” to the “insult of sacred values, ancestors, religion, and history.”

“If necessary, we will even go to prison,” Kartvelishvili stated during the presentation of the movement.

According to Kartvelishvili, Georgian identity, traditions, values, religion, and culture have become the target of a “coordinated attack,” the authors of which he identified as “groups funded from outside the country,” politicians, activists, media representatives, and persons affiliated with them. He stated that the movement is beginning a fight against people and groups “submissive to externally funded foreign interests” and carrying a “perverted ideology.”

In recent days, Giorgi Kartvelishvili has appeared in pro-government media in a context supportive of the person accused of attacking Onise Okriashvili. Pro-government channels referred to him as a friend of the person accused of the attack, and his positions were used in defence of the accused. Activists also accuse Kartvelishvili of mobilizing so-called titushky. On social media, he frequently publishes photos taken with Georgian Dream leaders.

Georgian Dream member Archil Gorduladze welcomed the initiative and stated: “It is good when people have a desire to defend and raise their voices against targeted actions directed against the country’s culture, faith, people’s rights, and history.” According to him, “of course, all of this must happen in compliance with the law and within the full legal framework.”

Georgian Dream member Nino Tsilosani also commented on the establishment of the movement, describing it as a “natural reaction” by part of society. Tsilosani called on citizens to exercise restraint and avoid statements that infringe on human dignity, noting that the movement has announced an “immediate response.”

The establishment of the movement comes against the backdrop of a discrediting campaign carried out by pro-government media against Onise Okriashvili over several days, after which he was attacked near his home. Even after the attack, the same media outlets continued circulating Okriashvili’s videos out of context, while at the same time disseminating materials supportive of the person accused of the attack.

In this context, the movement established in the name of “protecting sacred values” and the messages surrounding it reinforce the impression that the political and media environment linked to the authorities facilitates the mobilization of public aggression against critical voices and the dissemination of narratives justifying violence.