Huge crowds have gathered in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi to call on the country to continue on a path of Western orientation in response to a draconian bill believed to be influenced by Russia.
Some 20,000 people joined the “March for Europe” on Sunday, calling on the government to scrap the “foreign influence” bill. The European Union has warned that legislation to crack down on political and civic organizations receiving funding from abroad could undermine Tbilisi’s European aspirations.
Mass anti-government protests have been ongoing since mid-April, when the ruling Georgian Dream party re-introduced a plan to pass a law that critics say resembles Russian legislation used to silence dissent.
Waves of similar street protests, during which the police cracked down hard with tear gas, forced the party to drop a similar measure in 2023.
Police clashed with protesters during the latest rallies sparked by the revival of the law.
The kilometer-long procession, led by a huge EU flag, stretched along Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare towards the parliament.
At one point during the largely peaceful rally, protesters tried to break through a police cordon outside the parliament building to raise an EU flag. Police used pepper spray without warning.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that “the protest turned violent” and “protesters clashed physically and verbally with law enforcement.” After midnight, hundreds of law enforcement units were deployed in the area.
In response to days of anti-government protests, Georgia’s ruling party announced a rally for Monday, when a parliamentary committee is to hold a second reading of the bill.
If passed, the law would require any independent NGO and media organization that receives more than 20 percent of its funding from abroad to register as a “foreign power interest organization.”
Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili, who is at loggerheads with the ruling party, has said she will veto the law.
But Georgian Dream has a commanding majority in the legislature, allowing it to pass laws and override presidential vetoes without needing the support of opposition MPs.
Georgia’s bid for EU and NATO membership is enshrined in its constitution and is supported by more than 80 percent of the population, according to public opinion polls.
Georgian Dream insists it is firmly pro-European and that the proposed law only aims to “increase the transparency” of foreign NGO funding.
But critics accuse her of steering the former Soviet republic back toward closer ties with Russia.
“This law, as well as this government, are incompatible with Georgia’s historic choice to become a member of the EU,” said opposition leader Akhali Nika Gvaramia.
EU chief Charles Michel said the bill was “not compatible” with Georgia’s bid for EU membership. “It will bring Georgia further from the EU, not closer,” he said.
In December, the EU granted Georgia the status of an official candidate country. But before membership talks can formally begin, Tbilisi will need to reform its judicial and electoral systems, reduce political polarization, improve press freedom and limit the power of oligarchs, Brussels said.
Georgia, once considered a leader in the democratic transformation of former Soviet countries, has been criticized in recent years for perceived democratic backsliding.
