Neutral Georgia calls for EU membership referendum with anti-LGBT framing

Neutral Georgia, a Georgian movement with pro-Russian sentiments, has proposed holding a referendum on the country’s EU aspirations alongside the 4 October municipal elections.

The group on Wednesday said the voters should be asked whether they support Georgia joining the European Union “in exchange for promoting LGBT propaganda and legalising same-sex marriage”.

The wording mirrors a widely debunked disinformation narrative portraying the EU as morally corrupt and suggesting membership would oblige Georgia to recognise same-sex marriage.

Neutral Georgia claimed such a plebiscite would “end the illusion” of EU accession, which it called “an absolute bluff” that would plunge the country into “severe political, economic and spiritual crisis”.

Polls and repeated mass rallies have shown strong public support for EU membership over many years. Since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on 28 November that Georgia would halt its EU integration process until at least 2028, large-scale protests have continued in Tbilisi and other cities.