Georgia: Protesters try to storm parliament over ‘Russian-inspired’ laws

In a minute, a protest in Georgia against a Russian-inspired “foreign agent” law appeared peaceful.

Next, Molotov cocktails, firecrackers and stones were hurled at police in Tbilisi, where protesters clashed with officers tonight.

Police in the center of the capital used water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds who fear the bill could hurt the former Soviet state’s hopes for European Union membership.

As lawmakers voted, thousands gathered outside Parliament, blocking Rustaveli Avenue and disrupting traffic.

Some shouted “Down with the Russian law” and “You are Russian”.

Police officers armed with riot gear and shields were dispatched to the scene and did not hold back.

They were seen aiming a water cannon at a lone protester who was waving an EU flag.

People hit with tear gas were treated on the steps in front of the Parliament building, while those on the ground stressed that the situation was “escalating”.

“I came here because I know my country belongs to Europe, but my government doesn’t understand that,” protester Demetre Shanshiashvili said.

“We are here to protect our country because we don’t want to be part of Russia again.”

Critics argue that the law Georgians are protesting is modeled on a 2012 law in Russia aimed at restricting freedom of expression.

The law, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, would require organizations that get more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face significant fines.

Irakli Pavlenishvili, a civil rights activist and opposition politician, stressed that it was “against Georgia’s national interests and against our European aspirations”.

But Givi Mikanadze, a Georgia Dream lawmaker, told national television: “Georgian society absolutely deserves to know which organizations are funded from which sources.”

More than 60 civil society organizations and media have said they will not comply with the law if it comes into force.

President Salome Zurabishvili, who wants to veto the law, said she sided with the protesters. But Parliament can override their veto.

In a speech recorded in the US, where she is currently on an official visit, she said: “You represent a free Georgia, a Georgia that sees its future in the West and will not let anyone take that future away from it.

“Nobody needs this law. Anyone who voted for this law violated the constitution.”

Her statement comes just a day after lawmakers campaigned against the proposed legislation during a parliamentary committee hearing.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi released a statement saying it was “a dark day” for Georgia’s democracy.

It said: “The pushing forward of these Kremlin-inspired laws by Parliament is incompatible with the clear desire of the Georgian people for European integration and their democratic development.

“Enforcing these laws will damage Georgia’s relations with its strategic partners and undermine the important work of so many Georgian organizations committed to helping their fellow citizens.

“The process and the draft legislation raise real questions about the ruling party’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration.”

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