©(Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE/AFP)
Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied on Wednesday against a controversial "foreign influence" bill after parliament pushed forward with legislation that Brussels warns could undermine Tbilisi's long-standing aspirations for European integration.
Mass anti-government protests have gripped the Black Sea nation since April 9, when the ruling Georgian Dream party renewed efforts to pass the bill. Critics argue that it resembles repressive Russian laws aimed at suppressing dissent.
The bill passed its second reading in parliament on Wednesday with a vote of 83 to 23, a day after police violently dispersed protests against it, using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and physical force to arrest dozens of demonstrators.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned the violence and urged Georgia to stay on the path to Europe.
"I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi," von der Leyen wrote on social media platform X.
"The Georgian people want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe".
Waving Georgian and European Union flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday evening outside parliament, according to an AFP reporter on the scene. Georgia's national anthem and the EU's "Ode to Joy" were performed at the rally.
Later in the evening, police used pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannon from the courtyard of the parliament building against hundreds of demonstrators who attempted to block the legislature's side entrance.
Parliament said in a statement that it had "activated the red level of security due to the attack on the parliament building, which poses a threat to the lives and health" of those inside.
"Their senseless violence is futile -- the protest will only grow as popular anger is growing against our government," protester Tato Gachechiladze, 20, told AFP.
"Georgia belongs to Europe and we will not tolerate Russian laws and a pro-Russian government," he added.
An AFP reporter at the scene said there were no attempts to attack the building, except for a group of youths shaking its massive gate.
The interior ministry said police had used "special means provided by the law -- pepper spray and water cannons -- in order to restore law and order".
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Western politicians and diplomats for "slandering" the bill, which will only "boost transparency of NGO's foreign funding in accordance with European values."
He accused Georgian civil groups of trying to stage revolutions "at least twice in the last three years" with Western funding.
With AFP
Mass anti-government protests have gripped the Black Sea nation since April 9, when the ruling Georgian Dream party renewed efforts to pass the bill. Critics argue that it resembles repressive Russian laws aimed at suppressing dissent.
The bill passed its second reading in parliament on Wednesday with a vote of 83 to 23, a day after police violently dispersed protests against it, using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and physical force to arrest dozens of demonstrators.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned the violence and urged Georgia to stay on the path to Europe.
"I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi," von der Leyen wrote on social media platform X.
I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi.
The Georgian people want a European future for their country.
Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen)I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi.
The Georgian people want a European future for their country.
Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 1, 2024
"The Georgian people want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe".
Waving Georgian and European Union flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday evening outside parliament, according to an AFP reporter on the scene. Georgia's national anthem and the EU's "Ode to Joy" were performed at the rally.
'Popular anger growing'
Later in the evening, police used pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannon from the courtyard of the parliament building against hundreds of demonstrators who attempted to block the legislature's side entrance.
Parliament said in a statement that it had "activated the red level of security due to the attack on the parliament building, which poses a threat to the lives and health" of those inside.
"Their senseless violence is futile -- the protest will only grow as popular anger is growing against our government," protester Tato Gachechiladze, 20, told AFP.
"Georgia belongs to Europe and we will not tolerate Russian laws and a pro-Russian government," he added.
An AFP reporter at the scene said there were no attempts to attack the building, except for a group of youths shaking its massive gate.
The interior ministry said police had used "special means provided by the law -- pepper spray and water cannons -- in order to restore law and order".
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Western politicians and diplomats for "slandering" the bill, which will only "boost transparency of NGO's foreign funding in accordance with European values."
He accused Georgian civil groups of trying to stage revolutions "at least twice in the last three years" with Western funding.
With AFP
Read more
Comments