Russian journalists are being targeted by opposition protesters in Georgia simply for contradicting Western narratives on the situation in the country, according to Moscow’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova was referring to an incident on Tuesday involving a RIA Novosti reporter who was covering the post-election unrest in the former Soviet republic. According to the reporter’s account cited by the news outlet, he was filming a group of pro-Western opposition protesters who reacted aggressively when they heard him speaking Russian. They chased the reporter with a speaker playing a loud siren, while footage from the scene showed him briefly losing consciousness and falling to the ground at one point during the incident.
The man was assisted by local police, who helped him into a taxi. Videos posted online by the Ruptly video agency showed at least one other instance in which a Russian reporter was chased by protesters on the same night.
In an interview with Sputnik Radio on Tuesday, Zakharova said the Russian media is being targeted for showing “resistance to ultra-liberal dictates” of the West.
“How beautiful the world would be from the West’s point of view if... broadcasts from Russian journalists did not break through. The world would be perfect in their eyes as a result of their mainstream media coverage,” she stated.
Instead, “Russian media bursts in,” working as a “mirror” that “reflects what is really happening and the opinions of people who have long been denied the ability to convey their point of view,” the spokeswoman added.
“This is the true source of this current persecution of Russian media,” Zakharova stated.
According to the diplomat, the West is deeply unhappy with the results of the parliamentary election in Georgia, and sees it as a “challenge.”
“What is happening in Georgia is a battle of the people for their national historical existence… If you don’t walk in sacred circles carrying rainbow flags, we will cut ties with you, the West tells them. And the West does not want this, what is actually happening, broadcast,” she said.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which seeks to build stable relations with Russia, secured just under 54% of the vote in the country’s parliamentary election at the weekend. Opposition parties, along with the country’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have refused to recognize the result and have called for mass protests. Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, in turn, has accused the opposition of attempting to “orchestrate a coup.”
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it observed no systemic voting irregularities during the election, but some Western states have called for a probe into alleged violations. Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission earlier announced it will randomly recount ballots to eliminate any doubts over the election results.