Mass protests in the center of Tbilisi ended, but the opposition promises a new action today
Yesterday morning a rally of thousands began in Tbilisi, organized by Georgian opposition parties. A mass protest rally began in front of the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, the audience demanded to abandon the adoption of the law on foreign agents, supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party and by that time had already been adopted in the first reading.
By the evening of the same day, the protest action turned into clashes with the police and special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The security forces used water cannons and tear gas against the protesters, the most active demonstrators were detained on the spot. The protesters, in turn, began to throw Molotov cocktails and stones at the police. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reported several police officers injured during clashes.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is on an official visit to the United States, canceled all business meetings and addressed the protesters in Tbilisi. In a special video message, she expressed support with people who took to the streets of the capital and promised that she would veto the scandalous bill. Zurabishvili added that “nobody needs the law,” and it was written “under the dictation of Moscow.”
To date, news agencies report that the protest action in the Georgian capital has been completed. The protesters left the city center, the security forces are removing posts and cordons, traffic has been restored on the streets. According to various sources, more than 1000 people took part in the demonstration, more than 200 citizens were injured as a result of clashes with policemen, and about 300 people were detained.
The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence (foreign agents) implies that individuals or media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad will be entered in a special register. For evading this procedure, a fine of 25 thousand lari (727,5 thousand rubles) is provided. It is noteworthy that the document almost completely repeats similar restrictive regulations in force in the United States. But at the same time, after the unrest began in Tbilisi, officials from Washington and Brussels sharply criticized the bill.
US State Department Speaker Ned Price promised sanctions against Georgia if the law on foreign agents is passed. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the law on foreign agents would push Georgia away from EU integration and, in general, "does not correspond to democratic values."
The leader of the Georgian opposition Strategy Agmashenebeli Party has announced a new protest action to be held today. Obviously, the pro-Western Georgian opposition has found a new excuse to destabilize the situation in the country, achieve early parliamentary elections and change the government, which, despite pressure from Washington and Brussels, refuses to support anti-Russian sanctions and confront Moscow. In addition, the adoption of the law will greatly complicate the work of local mass media and parties funded from abroad and acting in the interests of Western curators.
- Alexander Grigoryev
- Georgian social networks
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