Georgian Vice PM says need to eliminate hate speech stems from years of normalised insults by “agent network” opposition-linked media

The need to eliminate insults and hate speech in the public sphere arose because, for years, representatives of the so-called “agent network opposition” and their media outlets normalised insults and bullying, turning profanity on television and other media platforms into a common practice, which ultimately led to extreme polarisation in society, said on Wednesday Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and State Minister for the Coordination of Law Enforcement Agencies.

In his remarks, Mdinaradze noted that over the past few days, certain media outlets, representatives of the so-called “agent network opposition”, and their propagandists have been conducting an organized campaign against the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“More specifically, the criticism targets the newly established department tasked with combating hate speech and insults in the public sphere. Since its creation, even basic visual monitoring indicates that instances of profanity, insults, and bullying in the public space, including on social media, have significantly decreased. This, according to the assessment, suggests that the preventive measures implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are operating effectively”, he said.

“As for the deliberate campaign against the Ministry and the specific department, representatives of the so-called “agent network opposition” and their media outlets argue primarily that the targets of insults themselves have no complaints, while simultaneously insisting that verbal insults fall within the scope of freedom of expression”, he continued.

Mdinaradze further added that the need to eliminate insults and hate speech in the public sphere arose because, for years, it was these very individuals who normalized insults and bullying.

“This is nothing new for us. The need to eliminate insults and hate speech in the public sphere arose because, for years, these very individuals normalized insults and bullying, making profanity on television and other media platforms a routine occurrence, ultimately contributing to extreme polarization in society. Acting in accordance with external directives, they sought to establish profanity as a social norm. Therefore, it is not surprising that they oppose the preventive measures introduced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs”, Mdinaradze concluded.