Protesters rally, lawmakers brawl as Georgia debates bill
TBILISI, Georgia (Reuters) — Thousands of Georgians protested Monday and lawmakers came to blows as ruling party legislators gave the initial go-ahead for debate on a bill on “foreign agents” that has been criticized by Western and domestic critics as Russianinspired.
More than 5,000 demonstrators massed outside Georgia’s Soviet-built parliament building, demanding the government withdraw the legislation requiring organizations that accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines.
Georgian critics label the bill “the Russian law,” comparing it to legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.
Parliament’s legal affairs committee, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies, endorsed the bill, clearing the way for it to be submitted for a first reading on Tuesday.
Protesters chanted “Russians! Russians!” at cordons of police securing approaches to the parliament, with water cannons deployed nearby.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that 14 protesters had been detained for public order violations and one police officer had been treated for injuries.
“I hope we push hard enough to get this law out of the parliament,” said Tornike, a 24-year-old activist. “But if they don’t do it, I think we have to push hard enough to get rid of this government.”
Many protesters dispersed in the evening after activists urged them to return for Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting.
President Salome Zourabichvili, a frequent critic of Georgian Dream, pledged support for the protesters on the X media platform, vowing “Georgia will not surrender to resovietisation!” The president’s role is mainly ceremonial. The Georgian Dream party, largely under the control of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister, said this month it would reintroduce the bill, 13 months after it was shelved due to protests.
Earlier, television showed Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of Georgian Dream’s parliamentary faction and a key force behind the bill, being punched in the face by opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili while speaking from the despatch box.