Top figures from Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party have queued up to attack McDonald's, accusing the fast-food chain of promoting "LGBT propaganda". 

The ruling party –  which has increasingly followed the playbook of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban – has seized upon a book about the life of British musician Elton John, which is included in the children's menu at McDonald's. 

"You will now meet two of the most talented musicians in the world. Both of them had hopes, fears, joys and challenges, as well as their own special dreams. Their stories show you that if you follow your dreams and believe in yourself, you can achieve anything!"  the book's front page reads.

The book, part of a global McDonald's campaign featuring childhood stories of celebrities, briefly mentions Elton John's homosexuality, stating that he "got married and started the family he always dreamed of with his spouse, David, and two sons".

This has triggered a pile-on by Georgian Dream leaders, who are trying to whip up a culture war in the country, where the values of the Georgian Orthodox Church remain powerful.

“It's shocking, it's outrageous, and under no circumstances should this propaganda be aimed at children”, said Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling party.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, chairman of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, said it was a “disgusting fact” that they are giving children "LGBT propaganda" in Happy Meal packages.

"This is sneaking in the topic and trying to get children used to it from a young age. No one in this country will ever be able to call propaganda the protection of rights..." he said.

The Patriarchate of Georgia's Orthodox Church also criticised McDonald's, saying it  had used “dishonest and covered-up behaviour” which was a “well-calculated trick".

McDonald's Georgia president, Temur Chkhonia, defended the book series, emphasising that it was not propaganda.

"What does propaganda mean? One can change the order with propaganda, but I can't imagine the possibility to change the [sexual] orientation," Chkhonia said in an interview with RFE/RL.

The Georgian government has increasingly turned to using terms like "LGBT propaganda" since mass protests this spring led to the dropping of a Russian-style bill targeting NGOs as “foreign agents”. It has repeated Kremlin-style attacks on "Western values", while the opposition has attacked it for moving away from the West and towards Moscow.

Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili had previously expressed concerns about “hostile forces” allegedly attempting to undermine family values in Georgia, promising to protect the majority from "minority violence" during a radical rightwing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) conference in Budapest last month.

In 2021 police stood by while far-right thugs rampaged against LGBT rights in Tbilisi, killing a cameraman. Six far-right assailants were eventually convicted of violent behaviour, but charges of organising group violence were overruled at appeal.

The ruling party has tried to whip up a culture war against Western values such as gender equality and LGBT rights to bolster its domestic support ahead of key elections next year.

This has damaged its relationship with the European Union, which were already under strain by the way Georgia has followed an ambiguous position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tbilisi has condemned the Russian invasion but has become one of the main conduits for imports to Russia, benefiting the economy. The government says it has to remain on good terms with Russia, its former overlord and huge neighbour, as Moscow still occupies 20% of the country and is a vital trade partner. 

The Kremlin rewarded Georgia by relaunching direct flights to Tbilisi last month and lifting visa requirements for Georgians.

The government was disappointed not to receive candidate status to join the European Union last year but its recent actions will have done little to improve its reputation. The EU is set to report on the government's progress in meeting the 12 milestones it has set by the end of the year.