A new initiative group has been launched in Georgia to prepare a legislative proposal aimed at protecting “traditional values” and other issues it considers part of the country’s national identity. “This tendency poses a threat to public consensus, national unity and civic peace,” Shanidze said. Shanidze claimed that people acting on “foreign instructions” had brought Georgia close to an “open civil confrontation” between “the Georgian nation” and what he described as “externally funded, destructive, and controlled groups.” Kartvelishvili said the group would defend Georgian “values and traditions” against what he described as “foreign-funded” groups with a “pseudo-liberal ideology.” His remarks, including a pledge to “go to prison” if necessary, sparked backlash and concerns over the movement’s potential methods.