‘Enslaved by hate,’ a new study on neo-Nazi groups in Georgia
By Levan Abramishvili
Wednesday, August 7
The research is dedicated to Vitali Safarov and all those who became victims of neo-Nazi groups in human history. Safarov, 25-year-old human rights defender was murdered on September 30, 2018. Two men were arrested for the murder and are currently serving a 15-year prison term for premeditated group murder. However, the judge, who found the accused guilty in June 2019, excluded the motive of ethnic intolerance from the aggravating circumstances.
The family and friends of Safarov say he was murdered on xenophobic grounds, because of his Jewish identity.
According to the Center for Participation and Development, where Vitali worked, “3 members of one of the neo-Nazi groups operating in Georgia were involved in the killing.” In the history of the modern Georgian justice system, Safarov’s is the first case of hate-motivated murder.
The focus of the research are activities of the far-right groups in Georgia, especially those proclaiming themselves neo-Nazi, being the new generation, which brings Georgian nationalism to the point of the white supremacism.
The research also deals with the legal framework existing in the country and two types of offence: hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents. These are defined by OSCE as follows: hate crime: a crime as defined by the criminal code, which has been motivated by prejudice against a certain group of people. Hate-motivated incident: an offence, also based on prejudice against a certain group of people, but not reaching the level of criminal conduct.
According to the research, despite the fact the activities of neo-Nazi groups in Georgia pose a threat for ethnic Georgians, ethnic and national minorities and the foreign citizens, the legal response is not adequate, doesn’t answer the challenges and is not focused on the prevention of the risks coming from the neo-Nazi groups.
One of such groups, ‘Georgian March,’ a radical right-wing, self-proclaimed ‘public organization,’ was officially established in April 2017. Members of the organizations are known for hate speech, aggression, and calls for violence. In some instances, they have even assaulted foreigners in the streets of Tbilisi.
Their first mass demonstration was held on July 14, 2017, on Agmashenebeli Avenue, popular among Middle-Eastern tourists. The leaders of the ultranationalist group demanded deportation of illegal immigrants and tightening the country’s immigration policy. Several members were arrested during the demonstration for attacking foreigners; however, they were only charged with petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police.
The research also talks about certain well-known figures of the Georgian far-right, such as Giorgi Chelidze, dubbed as an “only child fascist” in the social media. He is the leader of yet another radical group – ‘Georgia’s National Unity.’ He was arrested on August 2018. On September 2, he was charged with the article 236, part 3 of the Georgian Criminal Code - illegal purchase, storage and carrying of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances or equipment. On May 24 of this year, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison.
The study mentions that because the ideology of these groups is so similar, they tend to unite in certain situations, their main slogan is “Georgia for Georgians.” They cover their faces when holding protests and use many other white supremacist symbols.
According to the eyewitnesses, the neo-Nazis are aggressive and insult both tourists and Georgian citizens. They tend to vandalize malls, hotels, bars, and cafes, damaging advertising banners, and inventory.
The study states that such cases “are not just about petty hooliganism and beatings. The actions were motivated by national hatred, which can be read in the messages, calls, and aggressive actions at each of the protests. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia evaluated each case differently and did not find any motive of hatred.”
In 2014, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Law on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, which aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to ensure the equal enjoyment of the rights for everyone.
In 2017, Article 53 was added to the Criminal Code, which sets out the circumstances in which other offenses under the Code will be aggravated, such as the commission of a crime on the grounds of race, color, language, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, etc.
The researchers obtained statistical information on the usage of the abovementioned Article from the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. According to them, in 2017, the hate motives were studied in 86 cases, out of which national and ethnic ground was studied in one case each, the religious mark in 10 cases. 44 persons were prosecuted, out of which two were charged on religious grounds, and two out of nine were accused of religious offenses in addition to gender identity and sexual orientation.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigations didn’t reveal any motive for hatred; therefore, they weren’t included in the final documents.
In 2018, the motive for hate was investigated in 210 criminal cases. National grounds appeared in 6 cases, ethnic in 2, racial in also 2 cases, and the religious marks in 23 cases. The prosecution was launched against 151 persons. Out of these, 1 person was charged on the grounds of ethnicity, 1 on race, 3 persons on the grounds of nationality, and 2 on the grounds of religion.
The study also reviews newspapers and publications that are particularly aggressive towards immigrants from Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, etc. and the LGBTQ+ community, all based on the protection of the Georgian identity, culture, and religion.
“Media monitoring has shown that newspapers such ‘Asaval-Dasavali’ and ‘Alia’ often violate standards of journalistic ethics and spread xenophobic, racist, and homophobic statements. Migrants from the abovementioned countries are labeled as the enemies of the national identity. They are portrayed as terrorists and invaders of Georgia. This narrative helps to aggravate negative attitudes in society and reinforces stereotypes,” reads the study.
The authors of the study think that it is necessary to create a unified database of hate-motivated crimes.
“The existence of a unified database will facilitate the timely and effective investigation of hate crimes. In particular, the database will help the investigative agencies to ensure maximum accuracy and competence in the future studies of specific criminal acts. Which will help them to properly identify hate crimes, allowing the court to use Article 53 as an aggravating circumstance, if such indication exists,” say the authors of the study.
The study also underlines the importance of education and awareness-raising on every level in reducing hate crimes. “Georgian educational system should follow the European standards in development and delivery of the curricula on teaching tolerance and promoting non-discrimination,” says the research paper.
The study uses ‘Pyramid of Hate’ to show that at an early stage of formation, it is still possible to counteract the destructive power of hate in the society, especially on its younger members.
“We can bring a new spirit to the world-famous slogan #neveragain and prevent young people from killing each other because of false neo-Nazi ideals,” concludes the study.
This research was made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within “Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness Program in Georgia (PITA),” implemented by the UN Association of Georgia (UNAG).
Center for Participation and Development is a local NGO promoting civic integration and participation of vulnerable groups in decision-making processes, as well as the development of tolerant societies in Georgia and the Eastern Partnership region.