BBC publishes documentary on Georgian ‘rave revolution’

The BBC has released a documentary titled ‘Georgia’s rave revolution’ concerning the events of May 2018, when thousands of young people came out onto the streets in response to police raids on night clubs in Tbilisi.

The film depicts the conflict between the liberal youth and more conservative nationalist groups which are becoming increasingly serious.

The documentary claims that new clubs in Georgia are the safest place for LGBT individuals to go and have fun. The liberal-minded youth in the film speak about the excesses of the country’s drug policy, in addition to the night club raids and why they brought about protests from the youth.

The documentary also depicts the members and position of neonationalist groups which say that they are fighting for ‘national Georgian values’. The leader of the ‘Georgian March’ group, Sandro Bregadze, says that the ideas behind his group are similar ‘to the ideologies of Donald Trump’, and that the ideology of right-wing, conservative Georgians is based on ‘Christian culture and traditional values’.

The film also focuses on the role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the conflict and the influence of outside powers, namely Russia. The leader of NGO Transparency International Georgia Eka Gigauri talks to a journalist about the Russian connections of several leaders of nationalist organisations and about how they have been documented to be funded by Russia. However, Sandro Bregadze categorically denies any connection with Russia in the interview.