- Georgians demonstrate against the new law on “foreign agents”.
- Critics fear the law could be used to silence dissent
- Law based on the Russian model, opponents say
- The ruling party says it is protecting national interests
TBILISI, March 8 (Portal) – Police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi late Wednesday used tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades as they broke up the second day in a row of protests against a ‘foreign agents’ law critics say is deadlocked Signals gives authoritarian shift.
Hundreds of police officers, many carrying riot shields, gathered in the streets around the parliament building to disperse the protesters. Unlike violent clashes on Tuesday night, there were no signs of protesters throwing petrol bombs or stones at police officers.
Plumes of tear gas poured down Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue, where Parliament is located, forcing at least some of the thousands of protesters to retreat.
A few dozen people had earlier breached a metal barrier erected some distance away from Parliament, but showed no sign of attempting to enter the building. Demonstrators smashed at least one window.
The Home Office said 77 people had been arrested following Tuesday’s protests, which began when lawmakers approved a first reading of the law that would require all organizations that get more than 20% of their funding from abroad to identify themselves as “foreign agents”. have To or face significant fines.
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The ruling Georgian Dream party says it takes its cues from US legislation from the 1930s. Critics, including President Salome Zurabichvili, say it is reminiscent of a Russian law the Kremlin has used extensively to crack down on dissent and could hurt Georgia’s chances of EU membership.
The EU last year rebuffed Tbilisi’s attempts to become a candidate country, saying it must speed up changes in areas such as the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media freedom.
RULING PARTY RIFT
[1/10] Firecrackers explode outside the Parliament building as protesters try to breach barrier constructions during a rally against a ‘foreign agent’ bill, which critics say represents an authoritarian shift and could harm Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, in Tbilisi, Georgia , March 8, 2023. Portal/Irakli Gedenidze
The protests began on Wednesday afternoon with a march down Rustaveli Avenue to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is a public holiday.
“Now is (a) time when we are being directly attacked by the government,” said 24-year-old journalist Mikheil Gvadzabia. “It is very clear that more and more people are realizing that this is scary and that they should fight for their future.”
Thousands gathered outside Parliament in the evening, carrying flags of Georgia and the European Union, shouting “No to the Russian law” and blocking traffic.
“We cannot allow our country to become pro-Russian or a Russian state or undemocratic. We have no other choice: either Georgia is democratic or there is no Georgia. We will win,” said 33-year-old software engineer Vakhtang Berikashvili.
Footage of smaller protests in the Black Sea resort town of Batumi, the second largest in Georgia, was also shared online.
The affair has deepened the rift between Georgian Dream, who leads the government and has a parliamentary majority, and Surabichvili, a pro-European who has walked away from the party with her support since being elected in 2018.
She supported the protesters and said on Tuesday that the lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill violated the constitution. She also pledged to veto the bill if it reaches her desk, although Parliament can overrule it.
Critics say Georgian Dream is too close to Russia and has taken the country in a more repressive direction in recent years. Georgian society is heavily anti-Moscow after years of conflict over the status of two Russian-backed breakaway regions that erupted into a brief war in 2008.
Georgian Dream leader Irakli Kobakhidze said Wednesday the law will help root out those working against the interests of the country and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church. According to Georgian news outlets, he criticized Georgia’s “radical opposition” for inciting protesters at Tuesday’s rallies to “unprecedented violence”.
Additional reporting by David Chkhikvishvili and Ben Tavener in Tbilisi; writing by Jake Cordell and David Ljunggren; Adaptation by Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones and Grant McCool
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