Papuashvili: attempts are being made to discredit public figures and undermine cultural authority

Attempts are being made to discredit respected figures and undermine sources of public authority, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Saturday.

“They are trying to damage our public figures. The goal is clear and we have seen this periodically - at one point there were attacks on King Erekle, now [writer] Nodar Dumbadze has become a target. They are attacking people who are important for defining national identity and shaping values,” Papuashvili said.

He added “hatred, contempt and division” are being encouraged from outside and represent an attempt to create confrontation within Georgian society.

Papuashvili said such campaigns aim to weaken traditional sources of authority and replace them with other figures.

“They want the authority to be someone like [Member of the European Parliament] Rasa Juknevičienė, for her words to be considered credible, rather than those of Nodar Dumbadze and other classics,” he said.

He added that society and the state should oppose attempts to promote hatred and undermine cultural foundations.