On 1 June, the Georgian State Security Service stated that there were groups of people and individuals who were trying to incite national rivalry between ethnic Georgians and Azerbaijanis in Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti regions in the central and eastern parts of Georgia respectively. 

“These people are using certain issues and making incorrect and aggressive appeals to spark conflicts between ethnic Georgians and Azerbaijanis,” the Georgian State Security Service said. The agency said that the groups of people and individuals are trying to persuade ethnic Azerbaijanis that ethnic Georgians are more respected or privileged in the country. The security service announced that it will start investigating a case of racial discrimination, as well as direct or indirect restriction of human rights or giving advantage to the person based on race, color, national or ethnic identity.  

The start of investigations into racial discrimination of ethnic Azerbaijani’s in Georgia coincided with the announcement from Sandro Bregadze, the leader of the Georgian far-right political movement “Georgian March”, that he was to form a political party. “We were forced to go into politics in order to create a strong, nationalist political center on the basis of the Georgian March. The consultations are underway with political groups with similar ideology,” Bregadze said on Pirveli TV.

Although he didn’t mention any political group as a partner, he excluded the Alliance of Patriots as well as the Georgian millionaire with strong ultra-conservative sentiments Levan Vasadze. In the interview, Bregadze also distanced himself from the Kremlin, asserting that the group has “no connection, not only with the Russian authorities, but also with any segment of Russian politics.”

In July 2017, Bregadze led an ethno-nationalist rally in Tbilisi calling on all Georgians to join the rally and claiming that the social and political problems facing the country could be easily solved if the “foreign immigrants” would leave Georgia. Prior to the establishment of “Georgian March” Bregadze served as Georgia’s deputy minister in the State Ministry on Diaspora Issues from 2014 to 2016. He resigned from his post after he claimed he was ‘asked to compromise his principles’ in support of same-sex marriage in the country.