Georgia Protests Against Controversial Foreign Influence Bill Reach New Heights

Protests continue in Georgia against a controversial foreign influence bill that lawmakers approved for further debate today.

The bill has sparked protests in Georgia and raised concerns in the West, with many seeing it as an obstacle to Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union (EU).

The ruling Georgian Dream party re-introduced the bill to parliament earlier this month, a year after forcing it to drop an almost identical proposal amid protests.

The law would require non-governmental organizations and media that receive more than 20% of foreign funding to register as organizations “working for the benefit of a foreign country”. That phrase is the only difference from the version withdrawn last year, which said these groups would have to register as “agents of foreign influence”.

Opponents of the bill refer to it as “Russia’s law” and argue that it would prevent Georgia from achieving its goal of joining the European Union, which has long-term candidate status for the country last year.

Thousands of people gathered outside parliament today, chanting “No to Russian law!” and blocking traffic on the main highway of the Georgian capital. The police blocked the entrance to the parliament and for a while there was a conflict between the police and the demonstrators.

“Georgians will never accept this Russian law,” said one of the demonstrators, university student Kote Tatishvili.

“We, the peaceful demonstrators, will win, we will force the Russian minions in the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw this law,” Tatishvili said.

Protests against the foreign influence bill were also held on Monday, when police arrested 14 demonstrators. About 10,000 people took to the streets on Monday.

The EU has asked Tbilisi not to accept the bill, saying it goes against the democratic reforms the country must undertake to move towards EU membership. Today, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said again that the bill moves Georgia away from the EU, not closer to it.

“Georgian Dream” controls 84 out of 150 seats in parliament and can pass this bill without opposition.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has announced that she will not sign the bill if the parliament approves it. But the president’s veto may not last long. Zurabishvili’s term ends this year, and under constitutional changes, the next president will be appointed by an electoral college made up of all members of parliament.