TBILISI — Riot police moved in to disperse demonstrators in the Georgian capital Tuesday night, using shields and tear gas to push back crowds demanding the government drop its controversial “foreign agent” law.
Authorities sealed the area around the parliament building in Tbilisi, where tens of thousands of people gathered waving EU flags. Footage posted online showed security forces using batons, riot shields and tear gas against the crowds, while buses full of police officers in balaclavas were deployed in the city’s central Freedom Square.
“I’m here to protest because this isn’t the way Georgia should go,” said Marte, a 19-year-old student in the crowd outside the parliament. “We want to go the European way, we want to be part of Europe, and this law is absolutely opposite what we want.”
Georgia’s Interior Ministry issued a statement Tuesday evening demanding protesters move away from the gates around the parliament building ‘‘to ensure the safe movement of MPs and staff” and “avoid artificial escalation of events.”
Police started beating up protesters including women and teenagers during dispersal in Tbilisi! #NoToRussianLaw pic.twitter.com/K34mjzC33o
— Nodar Rukhadze (@xonoda) April 30, 2024
The violence marks a sharp escalation after weeks of public demonstrations opposing the ruling Georgian Dream party’s proposals to require NGOs, campaign groups and media outlets to register as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
The measures were initially proposed last year, but were dropped amid widespread public outcry and criticism from abroad in which comparisons were drawn with rules introduced by Russia to stifle dissent and suffocate civil society.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in November, has said the bill is “incompatible with European values.” A spokesperson told POLITICO earlier this month that the government should withdraw it or else risk undermining its chances of joining the bloc.
The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, said the “Kremlin-inspired” legislation could “limit freedom of expression, stigmatize organizations that deliver these benefits to the citizens of Georgia, and impede independent media organizations working to provide Georgians with access to high quality information.”
Despite the criticism, Georgian Dream has insisted the new rules are needed to protect the country’s sovereignty. Parliamentarians are expected to vote in favor of the bill at a second reading Wednesday.
In a bombastic speech at a rally outside the parliament on Monday night, prominent oligarch and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili railed against Western-backed NGOs, claiming a “global war party” was responsible for the war in Ukraine, and vowed to punish his “criminal and treasonous” political rivals after elections in October.
“I promise that having overcome these difficulties, with sovereignty and dignity intact, in 2030, Georgia will join the EU,” he insisted.
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