Thousands Protest Again Against Foreign Agents Law

In Georgia, pro-European protests have erupted once again. Confrontations between demonstrators and the police occurred outside the parliament. The protests are aimed at a proposed law that would require disclosure of foreign influences on civil society.

For the second consecutive day, thousands of pro-European protesters in the South Caucasus republic of Georgia rallied against a proposed law to monitor foreign influence. In the capital city of Tbilisi, clashes broke out between protesters and the police outside the parliament, where the draft law was being debated in the first of three readings. Georgian media reported that security forces used pepper spray. As in Monday’s protests, there were also arrests reported. The Interior Ministry stated that a police officer was injured.

Critics have labeled the initiative as the “Russian law,” which mandates that non-governmental organizations receiving foreign funds disclose their financial sources. The Georgian government aims to enhance transparency and exert greater control over foreign influences with this measure. Many civil society and democracy promotion projects in Georgia are financed by Western countries, including the EU and the USA.

Opposition and EU Criticism

However, critics fear that such a law, modeled after Russia, could be abused to halt these money flows and target pro-Western forces politically. The pro-European Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who clashes with the national-conservative government, condemned the persistence in pushing the law forward despite the protests. She deemed it a provocation, playing into Russia’s strategy to destabilize Georgia.

EU Council President Charles Michel reminded that Georgia was granted candidate status for EU membership in December of last year, making this law contradictory. He asserted that the initiative would distance rather than bring Georgia closer to the EU, as he expressed on the social network X.

Government Stands Firm on Law

In contrast, the ruling party Georgian Dream rejected the criticism, asserting that the law is in the country’s interest. Despite appeals from EU countries, including Germany, the draft will not be withdrawn. In 2023, the Georgian leadership withdrew a similar law following extensive street protests.