In Gruzia, the image of Motherhood is sacred.
I officially apologize to my readers for still another Saakashvili post, this completes a Saakashvili Trifecta, and even two posts in one day! People must think that I am obsessed with this guy. I’m not, but what can I say? He is a headline-maker, for sure.
In this story, Misha is accused of plotting to ferment violent riots again, but this time in his native Gruzia. Here is the back-story and main story, I’ll try to tell it in chronological order, since VZGLIAD tells the story all out of sequence, the way these newspapers usually do:
Nika Gvaramia
Nika Gvaramia (ნიკოლოზ [ნიკა] გვარამია), an old friend and political ally of Saakashvili’s, is the General Director of the TV station “Rustavi-2”. According to their website, Rustavi-2 is “the most popular and successful television station in Georgia. Rustavi-2 is privately owned, the owners are Mr. Karamanishvili and George Gegeshvidze.”
Ivanishvili accomplished what many men can only dream of: He got rid of Saakashvili.
Assuming that my readers are hip to the whole backstory involving Forbes 500 Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili’s election to Prime Minister in 2012, and Saakashvili’s subsequent exile, I’ll skip to August of this year.
That was when businessman Kibar Khalvashi, a former stakeholder in the TV company, won a lawsuit to sequester the company’s assets. Next, things accelerated, and I am not sure of the exact date, but on some day in early October, the Rustavi-2 station was completely shut down. “The TV company itself says the case is rife with political motivations and accuses the government of fighting media freedom in the country. There are direct accusations against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Georgian PM, who is believed to be ruling the country from the shadows.”
The shutdown of the station infuriated both Gvaramia and Saakashvili, who saw this as an attack against media friendly to their cause; hence an incursion against free speech and freedom of the press. The two men apparently spoke to each on the phone (I am guessing cellphones) on October 19 and said some very controversial things. Their phone conversation was tapped, taped, and published to the internet. Of course it was. These top-secret conversations are ALWAYS published to the internet, and people never learn.
The phone conversations between Saakashvili and Gvaramia can be found here on this Ukrainian site, the two videos at the bottom, just click on “Play”, the two men speak in Gruzian, which I don’t understand, and I don’t think there is an English translation yet. However, Gvaramia has confirmed that the conversations are authentic. He says that while he and Misha are good friends, he (=Nika) doesn’t necessarily agree with Misha’s proposed methods for defending “free speech”. Using the Rustavi-2 shutdown as the “sparking” event for violent revolution, a possibly coked-up and rambling Misha calls for building “barricades” and unleashing armed militants. He says the actions will last for several weeks. “Bring in people with iron pipes, build tents, organize a fortress, gather 2,000 people. Find some armed militants, there will be shooting.”
“Hey, Let’s Kill a Mom!”
The plot thickens. On October 22 Saakashvili met at the Ataturk Istanbul Airport with another old political ally of his, Giga Bokeria. Their private conversation was also recorded and published; I even found this English translation of it.
Apparently Misha and Giga had plans for their old friend Gvaramia, during the violent disorders, to get beaten up (but not badly – because they like him). They would blame his beating on government goons and claim it was a huge attack against “freedom of the press”. They also planned for a young mother (not a specific one, just anyone unlucky enough to stroll by while walking her child) to get beaten up or killed as well. The whole thing would be filmed by Rustavi-2 cameramen; and the public outrage at this attack against the mom would bring down the government. Or so they planned.
The Aftermath
Gruzian police are on alert for provocations against public order.
In the aftermath of these shocking revelations, the Gruzian government is taking steps to defend itself and the citizenry against these crazy loons. Gruzian Security forces have launched an official investigation, under Article 315 of the Codex (=conspiracy to overthrow the government by force or violence), according to Deputy Director of Security Levan Izoria. Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson Tea Pertaya has announced, that the government is taking “extraordinary precautions” to avert the planned violence. Video surveillance cameras will be set up around the Rustavi-2 building, and police will patrol 24/7, on the lookout for provocateurs.
Awful Avalanche 
“They also planned for a young mother (not a specific one, just anyone unlucky enough to stroll by while walking her child) to get beaten up or killed as well.”
No, not just anyone unlucky enough to stroll by. How can you take a chance, to expect that a suitable one will just walk by at the right moment?
They are not stupid. According to what I read, in Russian, Misha suggested to pick one in advance, from the TV station staff.
LikeLike
OMG, that’s really scary, to think that they had already plotted out their victim.
Those people are completely sick!
LikeLike
Sick? I dunno, just a garden variety western-style democratic politicians, PR-aware and determined to win. Actually, from what I read, Saak appears to be a talented one. As far’s I can tell, “young mother” is an innovation in the business of colored revolutions: a customary sacrificial victim is a student.
LikeLike
The plotting sounds creepily similar to what was done by Pravy Sektor thugs in the Odessa Trade Union Building in May last year. Recall that they used a “clash” between two groups of supposed soccer hooligans as cover to attack a pro-federalisation rally and push the rally activists into the building where the thugs were waiting to fall upon them and torture and kill them. One of the thugs’ victims among others was a heavily pregnant government employee working in that building. It is as if Saakashvili is using the events that occurred there as a guide and template for planning the staged provocation.
LikeLike
Yes, these people do find a template that works, and then continue to use it. They are very predictable in this regard. The methods used in Odessa Trade Union unfortunately worked for them quite effectively.
On the other hand, I think the overall PR presentation was supposed to be very different from Odessa. In Odessa, the ruling faction is defending itself in power. In Gruzia, the Opposition is attempting to overthrow the ruling faction, in order to come to power.
Odessa was simply naked violence and intimidation. And it worked: the incipient anti-junta and pro-federalization movement was terrorized beyond belief and forced to retreat underground.
What was supposed to happen outside Rustavi-2 was somewhat different: Saakashvili (and presumably his Western sponsors) were writing a narrative whereby:
(1) The most popular TV station in the country is shut down by repressive pro-Russian government.
(2) People spontaneously rebel and pour out onto the streets to protest this gross infringement of free speech/freedom of the press, and to get their TV shows back.
(3) The “pro-democracy movement” swells to several thousand people. They build tents and soup kitchens, wear ribbons, chant slogans, the usual dog and pony show. According to Saak’s phone tap, this phase of the process was supposed to continue for a couple of weeks, enough time for Western media to hype this process with bells and whistles.
(4) Police repressions start. Something bad happens. A young mother is shot by a police sniper.
(5) This action drives the people mad with fury, and they overthrow the government.
(6) Saakashvili rides back into town on his (giant) white horse.
THE END of a fabulous fairy tale.
LikeLike