Georgian police using water cannons, stun grenades to disperse protesters

Hundreds of police, many carrying riot shields, converged on streets around the parliament building in a bid to disperse the protesters. Unlike violent clashes on Tuesday night, there were no signs of demonstrators throwing petrol bombs or stones at police officers.

Clouds of tear gas billowed down Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue, where parliament is located, forcing at least some of the thousands of demonstrators to move away.

A few dozen people had earlier broken through a metal barrier erected some distance from the parliament but showed no signs of trying to enter the building. Protesters smashed at least one window.

The interior ministry said 77 people had been detained after the protests on Tuesday which started when lawmakers approved a first reading of the law, which requires any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as "foreign agents" or face substantial fines.

The ruling Georgian Dream party say it is modelled on US legislation dating from the 1930s. Critics, including President Salome Zourabichvili, say it is reminiscent of a Russian law the Kremlin has used extensively to crack down on dissent and could harm Georgia's chances of European Union membership.

The EU last year rebuffed Tbilisi's attempts to become a candidate for membership, saying it needed to speed up changes in areas such as the rule of law, the independence of justice and media freedom.

Protests restarted on Wednesday afternoon with a march down Rustaveli Avenue to mark International Women's Day, which is a public holiday.

Thousands gathered in front of parliament as evening set in, carrying Georgian and European Union flags and shouting "No to the Russian law" and blocking traffic.

The issue has deepened a rift between Georgian Dream, which leads the government and has a parliamentary majority, and Zourabichvili, a pro-European who has moved away from the party since being elected with its support in 2018.

She backed the protesters, saying on Tuesday that lawmakers who voted for the draft had violated the constitution. She also pledged to veto the bill if it reached her desk, though parliament can override her.

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 strongly anti-Moscow following years of conflict over the status of two Russian-backed breakaway regions, which flared into a short war in 2008.

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the law would help root out those working against the interests of the country and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church. He criticised Georgia's "radical opposition" for stirring up protesters to commit "unprecedented violence" during Tuesday's rallies, according to Georgian news agencies.

'We won't leave this country to Russia' - protesters explain why Georgia unrest is happening

 

Georgian Dream party secured passage of the bill on the first reading this week. It would require organisations that receive more than 20% of funding from abroad to register or face fines.

The protesters say the bill mimics Russian legislation which has been used since 2012 to silence dissent.

Georgia was once part of the Russian-dominated former Soviet Union and many Georgians want their country to be part of the European Union. Many Georgians also support Ukraine, which is fighting a more than one-year-long invasion by Russian forces.

"When it starts with certain organisations - like (what) happened in Russia - tomorrow it will be about persons," said journalist Mikheil Gvadzabia, 24, speaking in English. "They (the demonstrators) don't want Russian laws in Georgia."

Anti-Russian feeling runs high in Georgia after longstanding Russian support for two separatist regions and a brief Russian invasion of the country in 2008.

Software engineer Vakhtang Berikashvili, 33, said many of his friends had already left Georgia because they did not like what the government was doing.

"This is what happened in Russia, what started in 2012 and what is continuing until now ... this draft law, which is even worse than the Russian law in 2012," he said.

"If they beat us, the only choice we would be left with would be to leave the country or die without saying anything. We don't want this future. This already happened in Russia and we don't want this to happen in Georgia."

Reuters

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