Georgia: Thousands Protest as Parliament Advances 'Foreign Influence' Bill
Georgia: Thousands Protest as Parliament Advances 'Foreign Influence' Bill
The Facts
Thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday protested outside Georgia’s parliament as the country’s parliament approved the second reading of a controversial "foreign influence" legislation.
Police reportedly used pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons, beating and arresting scores of people waving Georgian and EU flags attempting to block the side entrance to parliament.
The Spin
The brutal crackdown on the ongoing protests proves that the government does not promote democracy, but fears it. After abandoning the bill inspired by Russia's repressive legislation following last year's massive protests, the government is now tryingaiming to introducereintroduce it under a new label. The protests are alreadycomparable being compared to the Maidan in Kyiv a decade ago and peaceful resistance needs to continue against the bill that will turn into ana instrumenttool of repression of dissent and blockbury Georgia's pathEU to thehopes.
ThereProtests isare a 5%basic chancedemocratic right, thatbut in Georgia's willcase, controlthey Southare Ossetiadirected and Abkhaziafueled beforefrom 2028,abroad. accordingThe West fears the law - the more liberal variant of a similar 1938 US law - as it leverages its NGOs to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. The West is seeking to create a Maidan moment in Georgia by employing established tactics to regime-change the Metaculusdemocratically predictionelected communitybut non-compliant Georgian government. Hopefully, Georgians will not fall into this trap.