In Tbilisi, protesters clash with police in front of parliament building
Protests in Georgia over controversial law (photo: t.me/NGnewsgeorgia)
Clashes erupted in Tbilisi between protesters against the law on foreign agents and security forces near the Georgian parliament building, according to News Georgia.
Protests against the controversial law have resumed in the Georgian capital this evening. Thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi and marched in a giant column to the Georgian parliament building.
Police pepper-sprayed a videographer
When the protesters arrived at the parliament, the situation escalated. The protesters tried to get to the stage that had been prepared for the ruling party's rally on Monday. The stage was guarded by police, so the protesters tried to break through the cordon.
As a result, clashes broke out, during which security forces used tear gas. Also, a police car with a water cannon arrived at the parliament square, but it was not used. Special forces were also spotted near the parliament building.
Special forces are at the Parliament from different sides
Protests against the law on foreign agents in Georgia
In April, the Georgian parliament passed, in the first of three readings, a controversial law on foreign agents that restricts the rights of media outlets and organizations that receive funding from abroad. This law is opposed by the EU and NATO, so Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration is under threat.
Georgian society is also dissatisfied with the draft law on foreign agents, which duplicates the Russian law. This is not the first attempt by the Georgian parliament to push through this bill. Last time, it also provoked large-scale protests.
At the same time, the ruling Georgian party said that this law could be repealed or amended if Georgia is invited to become a member of the EU.
