Tbilisi [Georgia], May 1 : Tensions escalated in Tbilisi as Georgian police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators rallying outside parliament for a third consecutive week. The protests aimed to denounce a contentious "foreign influence" bill, which critics argue undermines Georgia's aspirations for European Union membership, Al Jazeera reported.
Masked riot police resorted to violent tactics, including beatings and arrests, as they confronted protesters opposing the bill. The proposed legislation, currently under parliamentary debate, seeks to compel organizations receiving over 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents."
Despite the impassioned demonstrations, the parliamentary session adjourned without a vote, with discussions slated to resume the following day.
The bill has exacerbated tensions between the ruling Georgian Dream party and a coalition of opposition groups, civil society organisations, and public figures, including President Salome Zurabishvili.
Georgian Dream's legislative dominance allows it to pass laws without opposition support, intensifying the divide between the government and dissenting voices.
Critics have drawn parallels between the bill and Russia's "foreign agent" legislation, which has been utilised to suppress dissent within its borders. Russia's involvement in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remains a sore point for many Georgians, compounded by the 2008 war between the two nations.
International condemnation of the bill has been swift, with the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union expressing concern. European Council President Charles Michel asserted that the legislation undermines Georgia's EU membership aspirations and distances the country from European integration.
Former Georgian Defence Minister Tina Khidasheli, among the protesters, voiced confidence in the demonstrators' eventual victory. Amid the ongoing protests, the government organised a rally in support of the bill, drawing tens of thousands of attendees, predominantly from provincial areas. The contrasting demonstrations underscore the deepening divide within Georgian society over the controversial legislation.
The tumultuous debates surrounding the bill have spilled over into the parliamentary halls, with physical altercations erupting last month. As tensions persist, Georgia grapples with profound political polarisation and uncertainty regarding the future trajectory of its democracy, Al Jazeera reported.
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