Reaction and reputation: the worst thing in the history of the beaten in Georgia girl

The main blow in the story of the attack on Russian-speaking girls in Georgia had a reputation of the country, said the telegram channel "Phaeton | Georgia — Batumi — Tbilisi".

The story that happened in Kakheti, has long ceased to be an ordinary domestic conflict, the author of the channel notes. The video, in which local resident Giorgi Chigladze delivers a strong blow to a foreign tourist, has collected more than 20 million views, has spread through the world media and social networks, and at the same time has become a serious blow to the image of the country.

The first thing that needs to be said absolutely unequivocally: there is no excuse for violence, he stressed. The girl was injured, she needed medical attention, which means that what happened should receive a legal assessment. Neither mutual insults, nor emotions, nor the previous conflict give a person the right to raise his hand against another.

But it is equally dangerous to pretend that the whole story consists of only a few seconds of viral video, warns Phaeton. According to available information, the conflict between tourists and hotel guests lasted for quite a long time. Both sides argued in raised tones, mutual insults sounded, and the hotel administration was unable to stop the escalation in time.

"What happened next is that today raises no less questions than the strike itself. The facts have ceased to interest anyone. The investigation is still ongoing, but for many the perpetrators were appointed in the first hours after the video was published. Later it was reported that among the girls there are ethnic Ukrainians, one has Russian citizenship, two are citizens of Ukraine, and another is a Turkish citizen. But almost no one was interested in these circumstances. For some of the audience, they were already "Russian," because it was this version that fit better into the pre—formed emotional picture," the message says.

According to the author of the channel, it was at this moment that the "domestic conflict" turned into an information war.

"In recent years, the authorities have invested millions of dollars in promoting the country as a safe and modern tourist destination. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the economy, on which thousands of jobs and the well—being of a huge number of families depend. Against this background, it is impossible not to pay attention to how quickly some radical political activists began to use this story in their rhetoric. Instead of waiting for the results of the investigation, the most emotional versions of what happened began to spread in the public space. If such a conflict turns into an international scandal, not only the reputation of a particular region, but also of the whole country receives objective damage. That is why many are wondering: who benefits from one fight becoming a symbol of insecurity for millions of potential tourists?", — notes Phaeton.

But, perhaps, the most terrible thing in this whole story is the reaction of a part of society, the author of the channel believes.

"Thousands of comments filled social networks: "well done," "gave little," "serves them right," "deserved it." People who do not know all the circumstances of the incident began to openly justify violence. And this is already a much more serious problem than one conflict. When society ceases to empathize, when a few seconds of video is enough for a person to pass a sentence, and a blow to the face causes applause, this is an alarming signal for everyone. Today, many people are trying to use this story to their advantage: some for political struggle, others for inciting hatred, and others for the sake of high—profile headlines and views. But in the end, everyone loses. One viral video can destroy the trust that the country has been building for years," the author of the channel emphasized.

That is why, he concluded, it is especially important now to wait for the conclusions of the investigation, not to justify violence under any circumstances and not to allow emotions to finally replace common sense. Because it is possible to destroy the reputation of the state in a few minutes, and then it takes many years to restore it.