“No Russia!” “: in Georgia, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets again

In this Caucasian country, the pro-European fever does not subside. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets Thursday night in Georgia to once again protest against a controversial “foreign influence” bill sought by the government but criticized by the United States and the European Union.

The country has been gripped by anti-government protests since April 9 after the ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced the text, which is seen as an obstacle to Tbilisi’s EU membership bid.

Unlike previous days, the rally will take place on Thursday in two different places: in front of parliament, a traditional place for demonstrations, and in Heroes’ Square, where there is a monument in memory of Georgian soldiers killed in battle. Demonstrators blocked the road leading to this square, and the police, as the day before, arrested several of them and used pepper spray.

As a sign of solidarity with the arrested, demonstrators in front of parliament marched towards Heroes Square. Protesters chanted “No to Russia!” ” and posted posters with the faces of deputies of the ruling Georgian Dream party, called “traitors”.

The bill, which passed its second reading on Wednesday, is based on Russian legislation that the Kremlin has used for years to persecute dissent. Critics of the text accuse the government of playing into Russia’s hands. “We are all together to show the Kremlin puppets that we will not accept a government that goes against the will of the Georgian people,” said one demonstrator, 27-year-old Georgiy Loladze from Kutaisi, Georgia’s third-largest city.

The day before, tens of thousands of demonstrators had already gathered in front of parliament to protest. On Tuesday, police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and rubber bullets and made about sixty arrests.

European ambitions

If passed, the law would require any non-governmental organization or media outlet that receives more than 20 percent of its funding from abroad to register as a “foreign power organization.” The government, for its part, assures that this measure is intended to force organizations to demonstrate greater “transparency” regarding their funding.

The text has been criticized by the West, with the United States saying on Thursday it was “deeply concerned” about the “consequences it may have in terms of suppressing dissent and freedom of expression.” “We would not want there to be any movement from a legislative perspective that (…) would make it more difficult for the Georgian people to express themselves,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council in Georgia.

France, reiterating its “deep concern,” condemned the suppression of demonstrations and “ensures respect for the right to peaceful demonstration, as well as freedom of the press.” She considered that the text contradicts the values ​​on which the European Union is founded and to which the Georgian people have demonstrated their deep affection.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk demanded the “withdrawal” of the bill and called on the Georgian authorities to “enter into dialogue, especially with civil society and the media.” On Wednesday, the European Union condemned police “violence” and called on Georgia to “stay the course” with the EU.

In December, the EU granted Georgia official candidate status but said Tbilisi must reform its judicial and electoral systems, increase press freedom and curb the power of oligarchs before membership talks formally begin. The first version of the text was abandoned last year after large-scale street protests.

The unrest comes months before legislative elections in October, seen as a major test of democracy in this former Soviet republic accustomed to political crises.