Tsotne Ivanishvili, the youngest son of Georgian Dream founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili, lamented “violence” and “polarization” during a ruling party’s youth event in response to a question about abuses against protesters, with the billionaire’s son instead calling to engage in “conversation, discussion, debate.”
Ivanishvili, 20, made the remarks at the April 18 event held by Georgian Dream’s youth organization at the Paragraph hotel in Guria, western Georgia. According to the group, the event included a meeting with local youth and students.
A four-minute video shared by the organization on Facebook shows a meeting participant, a young woman, asking the GD founder’s son about the “high level of polarization” in Georgia that, she said, particularly affects the youth. The woman then refers to “a very large number of young people beaten and harmed at a rally,” adding that “against this backdrop, we cannot see a single perpetrator from the security system being punished.” She asks whether there is a “way out of this sense of impunity” and whether he finds the situation “normal and acceptable.”
Ivanishvili responded by condemning the “violence.”
“Let me start by speaking about violence — in my view, this is an issue that pains all of us. Personally, I am deeply troubled by these facts,” Ivanishvili responded, without specifying the incidents. “Of course, I condemn violence, and in my opinion, all this should not have happened the way it did.”
He then went on to speak about the polarization, arguing that “discussion, debate” have no alternative.
“I believe that the best solution to polarization, and the one without alternative, is discussion, debate, and listening to each other’s differing opinions,” he said. “But it is very important for us and the person we are speaking to on the other side, so to speak, share one common postulate, one shared value, which in my view is called a real love for the homeland.”
Tsotne Ivanishvili then elaborated that “if two people truly care about their homeland, then no matter how different their views are, in my opinion, conversation, discussion, debate can already bring a great deal of good.” On the other hand, he argued, “When bad things that happen in the country please a person and the country’s good makes them unhappy, I believe that speaking with such a person is pointless, unfortunately.”
The ruling party founder’s son said he finds it “very unfortunate” for a “discussion, debate, which may not have yet started, to end with people calling each other, for example, ‘Kotsi,’ ‘Russian,’ ‘Akatsuki,’ or ‘Natsi,’ instead of listening to one another’s arguments and forming a logical chain of reasoning.” He was referring to Georgian derogatory terms opponents use to refer to ruling party supporters (“Kotsi”), opposition/United National Movement supporters (“Natsi”), and protesters (“Akatsuki”, a term inspired by Japanese anime and often used by Georgian Dream officials).
Tsotne Ivanishvili called it “wrong” to judge a person “based on their thesis instead of their argument,” comparing it to “judging a book one has not read.” He, however, said he views the issue “quite optimistically,” expressing conviction that “many are united in their love for the homeland” in Georgia, and it will be possible “to implement more conversation” and to replace “artificially created” polarization with a debate.
Tsotne, the youngest of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s four children, has come into the public eye in recent years, including occasionally appearing alongside Georgian Dream youth at major events and gatherings. In the early years of Georgian Dream’s rule, it was Bera (31), the second-eldest son and a rapper, who enjoyed the spotlight, while the other two siblings, Uta (33) and Gvantsa (28), have largely stayed out of public view. Both Tsotne and Bera maintain active social media presences.
The remarks of Ivanishvili’s youngest son come as Georgia finds itself in a prolonged political crisis, with more than a hundred people remaining in jail, either on trial or convicted on charges related to protests and opposition activities. Authorities responded to the initial weeks of pro-EU, anti-government demonstrations that erupted in November 2024 with police force and violence, yet no police officer has been held accountable despite numerous documented abuses.
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