Georgia cracks down on demonstrations over ‘foreign agents bill’

weeks of protest crescendoed with two nights of violence this week in toi as the government’s foreign agent Bill dubbed the Russian law returned to Parliament and with it the thousands who came here to block it last year 11 people have now been hospitalized as opposition to a law that threatens Georgia’s path to EU membership pardoned we’re not going to lose the sparkle we are not going to lose our power and lose our Drive we’re not going to do it it’s what we are afraid of more being gassed being beaten up or losing the country the ruling party Georgian Dream and its billionaire founder plan to declare Nos and media groups as interest of a foreign power if more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad a plan the opposition says Echoes Russian laws used to crack down on civil society the leader himself injured by riot Poli if you aren’t interested in how the leader of the main opposition party has been beaten up for the sake of those young people who were injured who were beaten in the head and bruised I want to ask you once more even though I do not have any hope maybe you will withdraw this law skirmishes haven’t been reserved for the streets alone a couple of weeks ago Georgian dreams parliamentary leader was punched in the face by an MP from another opposition party triggering a brawl the bill passed its second stage yesterday and is expected to pass its third later this month is one the government says would increased transparency is one the EU says would put Georgia’s candidate status at risk the commission’s chief accession official spoke after crunch talks into B today uh the law that uh is passed on transparency in second reading as it stands is uh unacceptable and will create very serious obstacles for the EU EU accession this tension in Georgia’s identity between its Soviet past and what many hope will be its European future is played out in Pitch battles reminiscent of Ukraine’s 2014 maidan movement as its government appears to turn away from the West foreign policy doctrine of Georgia has always been Pro Western Georgian Dream continued it and they promised you membership and uh continued this line in the last two three years there has been a clear change clear pivot towards Russia uh rapo in relations with Russia they have maintained the pro-european facade but they have stopped taking meaningful actions and The Last Action actually indicates that they are openly going against European integration of Georgia since the 2008 War Russia has occupied nearly a fifth of Georgian territory protests continue tonight this a movement led by the Young by those born after Georgia’s pivot to the West those with a wary eye on its neighbor to the north and as Amelia said tonight there are more protests in toi in Georgia these are the scenes there live right now

EU and US officials have called on Georgia to scrap a controversial new bill, which – according to its critics – would put an end to free speech, and prevent accession to the EU.

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The so-called ‘foreign agents bill’ – which mirrors legislation passed in Russia – has brought tens of thousands of pro-Western demonstrators to the streets of Tbilisi, where they’ve been met by an increasingly violent police response. It’s left the country at a crossroads between Western integration, and the influence of the Kremlin.

And a warning there are some scenes of violence in this piece.

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37 comments

  1. EEUU (and several others European countries!) has exactly the same law. EEUU has the following: "The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. It requires "foreign agents"—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons ("foreign principals")—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation."

  2. This law is so that the citizens of Georgia can see which foreign organizations finance their politics. Not only Russian but also from Western countries. NATO countries have laws like this, you only need to look at the USA, which has had the FARA law approved since 1930, let me write it down again 1930. Why do Western countries welcome these demonstrations against this law when they themselves have one that protects their interests from foreign organizations?

  4. Georgia contre pro russian power. Russia interferes in the internal affairs of states not for their benefit. If America interferes, then it is to the benefit of these countries, examples of this are: South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Chile, Germany, Japan, which have become successful countries. Germany and Japan became successful democracies after the American occupation. Pinochet eliminated Moscow and Cuban agents in Chile and then democracy was restored.

  6. I am Georgian. 🇬🇪In my country, journalists spit on the government 24/7. I don't turn on the TV. It's all agitated by the members of the previous government. There is no free media in our country. We think that most of them are paid.
    In your country, when the police are spat on, physically and verbally insulted, what does the police do? Are there journalists in your country who insult people in the street because of their different opinion?
    What you see is violence and vandalism organized by "sponsored" leaders from outside of the country.

  7. US UK and EUROPE have the same laws.. Why not Georgia ? America has the most comprehensive such laws.. 😊😊

  10. Support independency, Georgians look at so many European countries, that they even want to detach from the EU, do you want to be told what to do from Brussels? Do you want to be rule by foreign EU? Keep your traditions, laws and integrity, do not be part of the EU, this is not political, this is about not to be control by foreigners!! Freedom is Priceless!!! Georgians must protect Georgians!!🙏❤ What Georgia must do with the support of the World (Not only from the EU, because the EU did nothing to protect Georgia back in 2008!!) is to get their territory back, if Putin says he is fair man he must gave Georgian territory back to the Georgians!! EU will not protect you, you must be neutral work on your own, do exterior business but do not let your selves to be control by EVIL BRUSSELS!!!

  14. It’s sad, more tax money spending opportunities for USA and NATO countries. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, now Georgia and how many more. Weapon industries in USA going to make profit if this war keeps going.

  17. All those protesters are Americas useful idiots! I’m American, I support this law especially since we have the same law (almost to the letter) here. Those protesters need to wake up! Seriously, Russia is not the enemy, my country is!

  19. Who is dumber , commentator here or protesters? Totally blind to see that all those foreign financed organisations serve for american interests to be implemented in Georgia .

  20. I hope there is no soviet statues in Georgia. We all know what happened with this piece of art when people get angry.

  21. I bet Putin will make make up lies to invade Georgia like he did Ukraine in order to stop post Soviet nations from joining the EU

  23. 👻 TRUTH IS:
    TRUTH IS ALWAYS OBVIOUS IT IS OMNIPOTENTLY CREATED FOR PURPOSE IT IS
    ABSOLUTE 👈😎🫴 INFINITELY ✨
    THEY ARE LEGION 🫣🤡💩
    Mark 5:7-12
    King James Version

    7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

    8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

    9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

    10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

    11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

    12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
    ☝️😎🫴 TRUTH IS:
    BE NOT PERPLEXED IT IS OVERTLY OBVIOUS THE DEMONS ARE LOOSED YOU COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE READ THE SCRIPT TO THIS THEATRICAL PHYSICALITY OBVIOUSLY ENTERTAINMENT IN THE IMAGINATION OF
    OMNIPOTENCE 🫴👑✨

  26. GEORGIA AT PRESENT WILL NEVER BE UKRAINE BECAUSE PUTIN CANT FIGHT A WAR ON TWO FRONTS AT THE SAME TIME.JUST BECAUSE THE RUSSIANS SUCCESSFULLY INVADED GEORGIA IN 2009 DOES NOT MEAN MOSCOW WILL ALSO SUCEED IF IT DECIDES TO DECIDE TO INVADE GEORGIA. BESIDES, IT IS TIME TO STAND UP TO RUSSIA! WHY MUST EUROPE ALLOW RUSSIA TO PUSH THEM AROUND?

  27. The donors include some of the biggest names in Democratic circles: Gates, Soros, Rockefeller and Pritzker, according to a POLITICO analysis.

    Two of the organizers behind protests at Columbia University and on other campuses are Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. Both are supported by the Tides Foundation, which is seeded by Democratic megadonor George Soros as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and it in turn supports numerous small nonprofits that work for social change. (Gates did not return a request for comment, and Soros declined to comment.)

  30. Russia should not tolerate this for long, as it tolerated in 2014 for long in Ukraine. The result is a full scale war for years. The same will happen in Georgia in future unless Russia intervenes now and take over Georgia and Armenia immediately.

  33. United States pay billions dollars for Ukraine , and everything, own country is expensive, for gift money to wars, now pretend more billions to Georgia. United States go down. Broken.

  34. Así es,ya nadie quiere estar sometido ala dictadura genosidas de Putin y sus cómplices y la libertad sea al país hermano de goerogia.
    Faltan biolorrusia y los demás países hermanos q los Soviéticos quieren dominar y seguir engañando.
    Fuera la dictadura rusa de los territorios indeowndi ntes.

  36. There is a group of people secretly laughing and rejoicing right now with great anticipation of big,big profits going forward. The youth of Georgia should be made aware of this. Y
    There are prime examples to be learnt from. As recently as just a few years ago. Hong-Kong,,Ukraine just to name 2

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