Her police Georgia used tear gas as street fighting in its streets Tbilisi they did not stop all night, in an attempt to break up protesters who had gathered outside the parliament building in the center of the country’s capital to protest against the “pro-Russian law” on “foreign agents”.
Earlier, police used water pumps against protesters, some of whom tried to storm the Parliament building, while others set up barricades.
In videos circulated on social media or reported by local media, protesters appeared to stick stickers of Ukrainian and Georgian flags on police shields, while many held European Union flags, drawing parallels with the Maidan movement in Ukraine.
Thousands of people took part in massive demonstrations in the capital for a second straight day, protesting against the bill, which critics say signals a shift towards authoritarianism in the country..
The law would require organizations that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” and put them under surveillance by the Justice Department or face heavy fines.
Critics of the law compare it to a 2012 Russian law that has been steadily expanded since then and is being used to crack down on civil society and independent media in Russia.
Zelensky’s support for the protesters
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky he said he wanted “a success of democracy” for the protesters in Georgia.
“There is no Ukrainian who does not wish success to our friend Georgia. A success of democracy. A European success”, emphasized Zelensky. “All free nations in Europe deserve” to be members of the European Unionhe argued, as Kiev and Tbilisi aspire to join the EU.
On their part, the USA called on the Georgian authorities to “respect the peaceful protests”, saying they were “in solidarity with the protesting Georgian people”.
“We call on the government of Georgia to respect freedom of assembly and peaceful protest,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, reiterating Washington’s “concern” about the law.
Source: News Beast
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