Zurabishvili Accuses Ex-President Saakashvili of Anti-Semitism

Ruling Georgian Dream (GD) supported presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili has accused the ex-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, of Anti-Semitism.

Zurabishvili says that the Saakashvili-founded former ruling party the United National Movement (UNM), whose member Grigol Vashadze is Zurabishvili’s opponent in the November 28 election runoff, “started their campaign with xenophobia, continued with torture and finally ended with anti-Semitism.”

“Xenophobia, terrorism, and anti-Semitism are the way to totalitarianism,” she stressed.

Saakashvili told Palitra News on November 20 that the campaign carried out by the government is working against the authorities themselves.

He also mentioned the new PR specialist from Israel who works for Zurabishvili during the pre-election period, saying “he was a brainwasher and a trickster Jew brought by the ruling party."

Zurabishvili stressed Saakashvili’s statement was anti-Semitism.

"The insulting words used by Saakashvili to describe my Israeli PR specialist are a shameful example of anti-Semitism." She added this will not affect the Georgian-Jewish centuries-old friendship.

"The anti-Semitic statements of former President Mikheil Saakashvili made it even clearer why it is important for the country to make a decisive choice on November 28. During the whole pre-election period, the UNM has been using methods that are categorically unacceptable for a European campaign. He [Saakashvili] started the campaign with xenophobia, continued with torture and finally ended up with anti-Semitism”, Zurabishvili said.

By Thea Morrison