Tbilisi: Tens of thousands of people rallied in Georgia on Wednesday against the controversial “foreign influence” law after parliament pushed through measures that Brussels warned would harm Tbilisi’s long-held European ambitions.
The Black Sea Caucasus nation has been gripped by mass anti-government protests since the government of the Georgian Dream Party on April 9 reintroduced plans to pass legislation that critics say is similar to repressive Russian laws used to silence dissent.
The bill cleared its second reading in the legislature on Wednesday by a vote of 83-33, after the police violently broke out to protest against it, firing tear gas.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the violence and called on Georgia to stand up in Europe.
“The people of Georgia want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It must continue on its way to Europe.”
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament on Wednesday evening, AFP news agency reported. The Georgian national anthem and the EU’s Ode to Joy were performed at the rally.
In the afternoon, the police used pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons to face hundreds of protesters who tried to block the entrance to the legislature from inside the courtyard of our parliament building.
“Senseless violence is pointless – protests will only increase as people’s anger towards our government grows,” protester Tato Gachechiladze, 20, told AFP.
In a statement, the parliament said it had activated the red security level because of the attack on the parliament building, which threatened the lives and health of people inside.
An AFP reporter at the scene said there had been no attempt to attack the building, except for a group of young men banging on the main gate.
The Interior Ministry said police used “special means provided by law – pepper spray and water cannon” – to restore law and order.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Western politicians and diplomats for “blaming” the bill, which would “increase the transparency of foreign funding of public organizations in line with European values.”
He accused Georgian civil groups of trying to launch a revolution “at least twice in the last three years” with Western funding.
A massive anti-government rally was held in Batumi, the second largest city in Georgia, according to Formula One.
The crisis comes just months before Georgia holds parliamentary elections in October, seen as a major test of democracy in the former Soviet republic.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has defended the bill, saying it would improve the transparency of foreign funding of NGOs. He aims to sign the measure into law by mid-May.
The bill must be read a third time and signed by the president to become law.
President Salome Zurabishvili, who is at odds with the ruling party, was expected to veto the measure, but the party had enough votes to dissolve it.
If approved, the law would require independent non-governmental organizations and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent foreign funding to register as “organizations seeking the interests of foreign powers.”
Last year, mass street protests forced Georgian Dream to abandon plans for a similar event.
Georgia has been trying to deepen relations with the West for several years, but Georgian Dream has been accused of trying to bring the former Soviet republic closer to Russia.
European Union President Charles Michel said the bill was “incompatible with Georgia’s desire to join the EU” and would “take Georgia further away from the EU, not closer”.
In December, GeorgiaB granted Georgia official candidate status, but said Tbilisi must reform its judicial and electoral systems, reduce political polarization, increase media freedom and curb oligarchic power before membership talks can officially begin.
Georgia’s bid for EU and NATO membership is enshrined in the constitution and supported by more than 80 percent of the population, according to opinion polls.
Tens of thousands rally in Georgia against ‘foreign influence’ bill
