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.Thousands of demonstrators protested outside the Georgian parliament on Wednesday as it passed a controversial "foreign influence" law in its second reading, which critics say mirrors a similar Russian law.
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 aiming to reintroduce it under a new label. The protests are comparable to the Maidan in Kyiv a decade ago and resistance needs to continue against the bill that will turn into a tool of repression and bury Georgia's EU hopes.
Protests are a basic democratic right, but in Georgia's case, they are directed and fueled from abroad. The 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 democratically elected but non-compliantdisobedient Georgian government. Hopefully, Georgians will not fall into this trap.