In the interview with Alt-Info TV program “Alt-Interview” on June 28, Bondo Mdzinarashvili, member of the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees, former editor-in-chief and host of Obieqtivi TV who is known for hate speech and homophobic remarks, spoke about Tbilisi Pride. Mdzinarashvili made several homophobic and anti-Western messages during the interview:
- Homosexuality is an illness
- Homosexuals incite the public to resort to violence
- The West imposes homosexuality on us
- The European Union imposes unacceptable values on us /fights against Orthodoxy
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Message |
Quote |
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Homosexuality is an illness |
“A human is born either as a girl, or as a boy…It is mental disorder or incest. It is clear but this does not mean that the minority should use aggressive force against the majority.” |
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Homosexuals incite the public to resort to violence |
“I say that you must not kill anyone or use force against anyone. But when a person comes and irritates you and gets on your nerves, and when you give an answer, is not it his responsibility too, because he irritated you so much that you went crazy and hit him in the head?!”
“These [LGBT] people are known for their aggressive behavior when they enjoy all opportunities of their self-expression.” “Following that large-scale rally led by the clerics, the government managed to communicate with the groups of these aggressive liberals so that they refrained from holding such events and demonstratively irritating the public.” |
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The West imposes homosexuality on us |
“I absolutely do not like it; it is not necessary to hold certain marches, European marches, liberal marches dubbed as prides as if they are families of lions! There is no need for such parades, where they will be naked or clothed or something else.”
“Ultimately, the entire aggression comes to Georgia. By the way, in respect of Hungary, there is not such aggression as expected by liberals. On the contrary, many EU member states understood that other countries and especially, the United States should heed them. Now, let the U.S. Embassy and their NGOs, Kintsurashvili and other metal plastic or MDF NGOs take out my statements and sent them to the Department of State.” “It is no business of 30 MEPs to decide whether a pride is held in Georgia or not. If those MEPs say not to resist or to thwart this pride, will our people say that those 30 MEPs said it and we should heed them?! Be sure that the majority of those MEPs do not even know where Georgia is, what problems Georgia faces and what Georgia needs.” |
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The European Union imposes unacceptable values on us /fights against Orthodoxy |
“Signing the Association Agreement with the EU imposes certain obligations on us. We need to be extremely attentive in the process of harmonization of this legislation, because it may lead to amending the legislation in a way that we may appear in [Viktor] Orban’s place, when we will be forced to return these laws to their initial state… We should enjoy certain preferences from the European Union in exchange for our contribution and that’s why we need this relationship to ensure that it is useful to us and we also bring some benefits to Europe. But when these people are trying to trample down the interests of our country, our population, Orthodox people, Orthodox parish, it becomes intolerable!” |
- What does the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s Code of Conduct read?
The Georgian Public Broadcaster’s Code of Conduct contains a separate chapter on coverage of the issues related to sexual minorities. According to article 15.9, homosexuals frequently become victims of offensive stereotypes and program authors should remember that they too, like others, represent a part of society.
The Code of Conduct calls on the broadcaster’s employees not to contribute to strengthening stereotypes through mentioning a person’s sexual orientation without need, to be careful in selecting words and expressions and not to allow the program guests to use insulting terms.
In addition, the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters provides recommendations on the protection of the principles of diversity, equality and tolerance. Article 31 of the Code reads that broadcasters shall not promote stereotyping against the minorities
Article 31. Principle of diversity, equality and tolerance
Broadcasters shall refrain from publishing any material likely to incite hatred or intolerance on the grounds of race, language, gender, religious convictions, political opinions, ethnic origin, geographic location, or social background.Article 32. Requirements for diversity, equality, and tolerance (rules)
3. Broadcasters shall respect human rights and freedoms.
About Bondo Mdzinarashvili
The Parliament of Georgia elected Bondo Mdzinarashvili as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster in 2020. Earlier, Mdzinarashvili served as an editor-in-chief and a talk show host on Obieqtivi TV, a channel affiliated with the pro-Kremlin Alliance of Patriots party. For years, Bondo Mdzinarashvili has been the source of xenophobic, homophonic and anti-Western messages and has frequently appeared in the reports and materials prepared by the Media Development Foundation (MDF) and its fact-checking platform Myth Detector. Due to MDF’s report, Obieqtivi TV’s statements involving hate speech, as well as Bondo Mdzinarashvili’s comments were highlighted in the fifth monitoring cycle report also covering Georgia released by the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
