Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change and the Ahali party, criticized a statement by MMA fighter Giorgi Kartvelishvili regarding the creation of a public movement to protect Georgian values, traditions, and national identity.
Gvaramia wrote that Kartvelishvili’s initiative could lead not to the defense of morality, but to widespread violence and vigilantism. The opposition figure also commented on the athlete’s statement expressing readiness to go to prison if necessary.
“If this guy has relatives, let them explain to him that with such an approach, people usually end up not in prison, but in the morgue,” Gvaramia wrote.
Attempts to justify violence through the protection of traditions, the opposition politician emphasized, could trigger a dangerous spiral of confrontation.
“Sooner or later, someone even more reckless will emerge—some ‘good girl’s brother’ or ‘tough guy’s son’—and recall a street slang expression popular in the 90s: ‘a spoke to the liver.’
If you are trying to release the most violent genie of the wild 90s from the bottle, it means you have a poor memory: everyone who tried to do this last time is already in the ground. And, it seems, you are poorly acquainted with the main foundation of our ancestors’ traditions—the Bible: ‘For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’”
As a reminder, Giorgi Kartvelishvili previously announced the creation of a new public movement that will protect Georgian values, traditions, and national identity. The fighter stated that members of the movement intend to act actively and constructively, and are ready to take responsibility for their actions—if necessary, even going to prison.
