We, the signatory non-governmental organizations express our concern regarding a August 23, 2016 racisit statement that Mr. Zaza Mamaladze, the Saburtalo District majoritarian candidate of the “Patriot Alliance” has made in the air of Media-Union “Obieqtivi”. Namely, he said:
Zaza Mamaladze, the Patriot Alliance: „Look at Saburtalo, our place, I do not anymore want to even walk there. Do you know why? Because, thanks to this Medical University of ours, every black person on earth has descended here… Come on now…It should not be allowed to let these things to come in and be accepted without exams, come one now. How is this done, how is this even possible? And I do not even want to walk there anymore?! And that is why I…. You know, there used to be a song on “what stinks, it stinks and stinkystinkysttinky…” Now Saburtalo has the same situation. We will take care of this man! Not like that some, I mean let every one be fine in their own Iraq and India and whatnot man, give me back my city and my country! I will somehow take care of it myself, pleasee!”
We believe, that statements of this nature, made by poiliticians in the public domain, facilitate emergence of xenophobic and racicist attitutes in the society and even empowers them, which contradicts the value system, which is declared by the Constitution of Georgia and the universal international documents in the field of human rights.
It is alarming, that when a political party chooses to communicate with the voters by capitalizing on hate speech and intolerance, instead of focusing on the issues, which public opinion surveys indicate are the most important for the voters.
ECRI 5th Cycle Report has paid special attention to the usagee of hate speech in the Georgian political discourse. MDF Content analysis Reporthas also paid attention to the incitment of hate speech by the Patriot Alliance.
We call on the Patriot Alliance, and on its individual membes, to denounce hate speech as their choice of communication, and to employ the self-regulating mechanism and react to each and every expression of hate speechduring the pre-election campaing, so that intolerance directed towards particular groups are not turned into a means to achieveing their own electoral goals and electoral results.
Georgian Young Lawyers` Association
Georgian Democracy Initiative, GDI
Media Development Foundation, MDF
Transparency International - Georgia (TI)
Georgian Reforms Association, GRASS
Union “Safari”
Constitution Article 42
Baltic and Black Sea Alliance
LGBT Georgia
Tolerance and Diversity Institute, TDI
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, ISFED
